The Countryside Cougars will head out on the road to challenge the Jesuit Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Countryside's pitching crew has only allowed 3.3 runs per game this season, so Jesuit's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Countryside is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They skirted past Seminole 3-2. Surprisingly, this marked the Cougars' third straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.
The team relied heavily on Braeden Callahan, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Neubauer, who went 1-for-3 with two runs.
Meanwhile, Jesuit never let their opponents score on Thursday. They put the hurt on Bonita Springs with a sharp 9-0 win. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten contests by six runs or more this season.
Jesuit also got a great performance from Brady Hoar as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over six innings pitched. Those seven strikeouts gave Hoar a new career-high.
At the plate, Brody Smith was a standout: he went 3-for-5 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Kaden Waechter was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Jesuit always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bonita Springs only posted an OBP of .192.
Jesuit is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-9 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.3 runs over those games. As for Countryside, they pushed their record up to 20-8 with the win, which was their seventh straight on the road.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Countryside has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Jesuit struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Countryside might still be hurting after the 7-0 defeat they got from Jesuit when the teams last played last Wednesday. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
