The Vanguard Knights will head out to square off against the Trinity Catholic Celtics at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Vanguard's pitching crew has only allowed 3.9 runs per game this season, so Trinity Catholic's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Vanguard is headed into the game having just suffered their closest defeat since February 18th on Thursday. They fell just short of Belleview by a score of 2-0. Considering the last time the Knights couldn't score was back in February, the team can't take the result too hard.
Hannah Davis spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on four hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances.
Jaelynn Whipple
| 04/17/25 vs Belleview | 1 |
| 04/15/25 vs Dunnellon | 1 |
| 04/08/25 @ The Villages Charter | 3 |
| 04/04/25 vs Lake Weir | 3 |
| 04/02/25 @ Mount Dora | 1 |
At the plate, Vanguard saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jaelynn Whipple, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base. Whipple is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last five games she's played.
Meanwhile, Trinity Catholic was able to grind out a solid victory over Wapakoneta on Wednesday, taking the game 9-4. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Celtics.
Caylee Barbe made a splash while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over four innings pitched. Barbe was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Emma Simms was incredible, going 4-for-5 with four stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April of 2024. Casey Houghtaling was another key player, going 3-for-5 with one run and one RBI.
Trinity Catholic's record is now 17-7. As for Vanguard, with the loss, they broke their four-game winning streak and moved their record to 11-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Vanguard has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Trinity Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Vanguard skirted past Trinity Catholic 5-4 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
