Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory hasn't had much luck against Saint Francis recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Fightin' Irish are taking a road trip to face off against the Lancers at 4:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory 4.1, Saint Francis 2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory gave up the first runs on Saturday, but they didn't let that get them down. They had just enough and edged out Marin Catholic 4-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Fightin' Irish have posted since April 12, 2024.
Quinn Middleton made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Middleton wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Evan Liu, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one run. That triple was Liu's first of the season.
Saint Francis let Petaluma stack four runs on them in the first inning on Saturday but luckily Saint Francis prevailed anyway. The Lancers narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Trojans 5-4.
Elliot Hsu looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March of 2024.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Tanner Wall, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Jack Leeper was another key player, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Saint Francis is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-5 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.8 runs over those games. As for Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, the win got them back to even at 11-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Saint Francis struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory suffered a grim 9-0 defeat to Saint Francis when the teams last played on April 11th. Can the Fightin' Irish avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
