Hercules hasn't had much luck against St. Patrick-St. Vincent recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Hercules Titans will be playing at home against the St. Patrick-St. Vincent Bruins at 4:00 p.m. Hercules is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
Hercules' pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Kennedy with a sharp 14-0 win. The high-scoring effort was just what the Titans needed considering they were shut out in their previous game.
Nathaniel Melgoza was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has become a key player for Hercules: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most one hit, but 2-4-1 otherwise. Melgoza was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
Wynston Bishop
| 03/05/25 vs Elite | 3 |
| 03/01/25 @ St. Patrick-St. Vincent | 3 |
| 03/19/25 @ Kennedy | 2 |
| 03/07/25 @ Deer Valley | 1 |
In other batting news, Wynston Bishop was a standout: he went 1-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Hercules' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-5-1 when he doesn't). William Hobbs was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for St. Patrick-St. Vincent, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 8-6 victory over Berean Christian on Tuesday. While the Bruins didn't have the best season last year (they finished 11-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Like Hercules, St. Patrick-St. Vincent also got a great game from a two-way player: Jaden Dichoco. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. Dichoco was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, St. Patrick-St. Vincent let Bo Smith and Mathew Thacker run wild. Smith scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Thacker scored two runs while going 2-for-4. Thacker also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Dominic Petersen, who scored a run while going 3-for-3.
St. Patrick-St. Vincent was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Berean Christian only posted a batting average of .273.
Hercules' win bumped their record up to 4-5-1. As for St. Patrick-St. Vincent, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season.
Hercules took their victory against St. Patrick-St. Vincent when the teams last played on March 1st by a conclusive 13-3. Will Hercules repeat their success, or does St. Patrick-St. Vincent have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
