The Tampa Catholic Crusaders will face off against the Shorecrest Prep Chargers at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Tampa Catholic fell victim to Chamberlain and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They fell just short of the Storm by a score of 1-0. The Crusaders haven't had much luck with the Storm recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Maddie Fulgueira was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: she struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Tampa Catholic saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lillie Bridges, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Shorecrest Prep hadn't done well against Admiral Farragut recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. The Chargers never let the BlueJackets get on the board and left with a 16-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Chargers, who have now won eight games by six runs or more so far this season.
Samantha Beltran made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out ten over four innings pitched. Beltran was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Bobbie Strus was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Madi Bidwell was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Shorecrest Prep pushed their record up to 9-2 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Tampa Catholic, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Tampa Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Shorecrest Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 11.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Tampa Catholic took their victory against Shorecrest Prep in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 11-1 score. Do the Crusaders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Chargers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
