The St. Patrick-St. Vincent Bruins will face off against the Berean Christian Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
The home team had come away the winner the last six times St. Patrick-St. Vincent and Salesian College Preparatory had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. Everything went St. Patrick-St. Vincent's way against Salesian College Preparatory on Tuesday as St. Patrick-St. Vincent made off with an 11-2 victory. 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.
Madden Mendez made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Mendez was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season.
In other pitching news, Logan Lissner looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. That's the fewest earned runs he has allowed since back in April of 2024.
Back at the plate, Bo Smith was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Jaden Dichoco, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Berean Christian entered their tilt with International on Saturday with two consecutive wins , and they'll enter their next game with three. They put the hurt on the Jaguars with a sharp 20-1 win. That 19 run margin sets a new team best for the Eagles this season.
Like St. Patrick-St. Vincent, Berean Christian also got a great game from a two-way player: Luke Upshaw. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Upshaw was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Those three runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Berean Christian got a massive performance out of Colton Swift, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. That's the most hits Swift has posted since back in April of 2024. Riley Sabo was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Berean Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .684. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive contests.
Berean Christian's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for St. Patrick-St. Vincent, their win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. Patrick-St. Vincent has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Berean Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
St. Patrick-St. Vincent couldn't quite finish off Berean Christian in their previous meeting back in May of 2021 and fell 4-2. Will St. Patrick-St. Vincent have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
