The Odyssey Institute Minotaur will head out to take on the Yuma Catholic Shamrocks at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Odyssey Institute will be strutting in after a win while Yuma Catholic will be coming in after a defeat.
Odyssey Institute barely beat Winslow the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Odyssey Institute was the clear victor by a 16-4 margin over Winslow last Wednesday. With that victory, the Minotaur brought their scoring average up to 7.4 runs per game.
Charles Lucas
| 02/26/25 vs Copper Canyon | 3 |
| 03/12/25 @ Winslow | 2 |
| 03/01/25 @ Shadow Mountain | 2 |
Charles Lucas made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Odyssey Institute is 2-0-1 when Lucas allowsthree or fewer hits, but 1-3 otherwise. Lucas was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season.
In other batting news, Odyssey Institute got a massive performance out of Jay Daughtery, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Daughtery is becoming a predictor of Odyssey Institute's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 0-3-1 when he doesn't). Zeke Shepard was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Odyssey Institute was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .407. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Winslow only posted a batting average of .273.
Meanwhile, Yuma Catholic faced Valley Christian in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Wednesday. Yuma Catholic fell just short of Valley Christian by a score of 2-1. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Shamrocks couldn't push the score so high this time.
Erik Topete was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one home run and one double.
Odyssey Institute is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 3-3-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. Having lost for the first time this season, Yuma Catholic fell to 11-1.
Tuesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Odyssey Institute has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .440. However, it's not like Yuma Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .494. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Odyssey Institute might still be hurting after the 9-1 loss they got from Yuma Catholic in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can Odyssey Institute avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
