Catholic Central is 0-9 against Fairbanks since April of 2016 but things could change on Monday. The Irish will head out to face off against the Panthers at 5:00 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Catholic Central came out on top against Northeastern on Saturday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run first inning. The Irish sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-6 win over the Jets. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Irish have posted since April 8th.
Ben Thomas
| 05/17/25 vs Northeastern | 3 |
| 05/16/25 vs Triad | 1 |
| 04/30/25 vs Lehman Catholic | 1 |
| 04/17/25 @ West Liberty-Salem | 1 |
| 03/28/25 @ Fairlawn | 1 |
Berkeley Little and Ben Thomas did most of the damage at the plate: Little went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while Thomas went 1-for-4 with three RBI and one stolen base. Those three RBI gave Thomas a new career-high.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last game, Fairbanks made sure to put some runs up on the board against Greenon on Friday. The Panthers came out on top against the Knights by a score of 10-5. Considering the Panthers' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Carson Reames made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over six innings pitched. He is becoming a predictor of Fairbanks' success: when he posts at least eight strikeouts the team is undefeated (and 5-13 when he doesn't). Reames was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
In other batting news, Liam Rhea was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with four runs and two stolen bases. Another player making a difference was Dayne Madison, who went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.
Fairbanks always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .538. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The win made it two in a row for Catholic Central and bumps their season record up to 5-13. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Fairbanks, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 8-13.
Catholic Central suffered a grim 10-1 defeat to Fairbanks in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Irish avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
