Baseball Game Preview: Irvin Rockets vs. Cathedral Fighting Irish

The Irvin Rockets will venture away from home to square off against the Cathedral Fighting Irish at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Cathedral took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Irvin, who comes in off a win.

Irvin will bounce into Tuesday's game after beating Bowie, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Rockets narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Bears 7-6. Seven seems to be a good number for the Rockets as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.

Anthony Badajosa

Runs

03/27/26 @ Bowie	2
03/24/26 vs Austin	2
03/06/26 vs Anthony	2
03/05/26 vs Fabens	2
03/03/26 vs Tornillo	2
+ 5 more games

Anthony Badajosa was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Irvin's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 6-1 (and 4-6-1 when he doesn't).

Meanwhile, Cathedral fell victim to Santa Teresa and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They took a 5-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Desert Warriors.

Irvin is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-7-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.2 runs over those games. As for Cathedral, their loss dropped their record down to 10-8-3.

Tuesday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Irvin has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .465. However, it's not like Cathedral struggles in that department as they've averaged .441. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.

Irvin suffered a grim 13-5 defeat to Cathedral in their previous meeting back in February of 2023. Can the Rockets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.