The St. Joseph-by-the-Sea Vikings will head out to take on the Fordham Prep Rams at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. St. Joseph-by-the-Sea is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last eight games.
St. Joseph-by-the-Sea had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Salesian on Thursday. The Vikings blew past the Eagles 11-1. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Vikings' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Nicholas Zarski
| 04/24/25 @ Salesian | 2 |
| 04/10/25 vs Cardinal Hayes | 2 |
| 04/04/25 @ Monsignor Scanlan | 2 |
| 04/02/25 @ Poly Prep Country Day | 0 |
Nicholas Zarski looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Gioacchino Bonsangue was a standout: he went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Ryan Downey also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Meanwhile, Fordham Prep made easy work of Regis on Wednesday and carried off a 9-2 win.
Derek Soroa made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted over his last four games. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one triple and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Miguel Reich, who went 3-for-4 with five RBI, one triple, and one double. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Jack McKillop was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Fordham Prep is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for St. Joseph-by-the-Sea, they pushed their record up to 11-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road.
Fordham Prep's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. St. Joseph-by-the-Sea has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Fordham Prep, though, as they've been averaging only 4.1 strikeouts. Will St. Joseph-by-the-Sea keep running through batters, or will the Rams buck the trend?
St. Joseph-by-the-Sea came out on top in a nail-biter against Fordham Prep when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
