The Marquette Catholic Explorers will square off against the Southwestern Piasa Birds at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Marquette Catholic barely beat Hillsboro the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Marquette Catholic blew past Hillsboro 12-3 on Saturday. The Explorers haven't had any issues with the Hiltoppers recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.
Cohen Green looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk).
On the hitting side, Tyler Roth was incredible, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. Jack Rea was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
Marquette Catholic kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hillsboro only managed four hits.
Meanwhile, Southwestern got the win against Greenfield/Northwestern on Friday by a conclusive 17-2.
Ryan Lowis made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. Lowis was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Ian Brantley was a standout: he scored three runs while going 4-for-4. Another player making a difference was Owen Gray, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3.
Marquette Catholic's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Southwestern, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
Marquette Catholic's speedy runners might be the difference in Monday's game. Marquette Catholic has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Southwestern, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.3 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Marquette Catholic continue to outrun the ball?
Marquette Catholic came out on top in a nail-biter against Southwestern in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 5-3. Will Marquette Catholic repeat their success, or does Southwestern has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
