St. Peter and St. Joseph-by-the-Sea are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2021, but likely not for long. The Eagles will challenge the Vikings at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as St. Peter's comes in on five and St. Joseph-by-the-Sea on ten.
St. Peter's gave up the first runs on Tuesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 6-3 win over Fordham Prep.
St. Peter's got a great performance from Eddie Rethorn as he struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. Those eight strikeouts gave Rethorn a new career-high.
Marco Aruta
| 04/29/25 @ Fordham Prep | 3 |
| 04/25/25 vs Archbishop Stepinac | 2 |
| 03/12/25 @ Wagner | 2 |
| 03/16/24 @ Curtis | 2 |
| 03/14/24 vs Midwood | 2 |
At the plate, Marco Aruta was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Anthony Macaluso, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last contest, St. Joseph-by-the-Sea made sure to put some runs up on the board against Mt. St. Michael Academy on Tuesday. The Vikings put the hurt on the Mountaineers with a sharp 10-0 victory. Considering the Vikings have won six matches by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Anthony Abruzese tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, St. Joseph-by-the-Sea got a big performance out of Anthony DePetro, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Michael Marchese also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
St. Joseph-by-the-Sea always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
St. Joseph-by-the-Sea pushed their record up to 13-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.1 runs over those games. As for St. Peter's, their record is now 15-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. St. Peter's has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like St. Joseph-by-the-Sea struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
St. Peter's was able to grind out a solid win over St. Joseph-by-the-Sea when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 5-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eagles since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
