The Father Ryan Irish are taking a road trip to square off against the Pope John Paul II Knights at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Father Ryan has given up an average of 7.2 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Father Ryan is headed into Thursday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game on Wednesday. They came up short against Lipscomb Academy, falling 15-3.
Meanwhile, Pope John Paul II won against Central Magnet on Monday with 14 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Tuesday. The Knights put the hurt on Harpeth Hall with a sharp 14-4 win. Considering the Knights have won five contests by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Laney Jackson was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 4.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in strikeouts (four). She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ella Fisher, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Abbie Pitt was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Pope John Paul II always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .610. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Pope John Paul II's victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 7-4. As for Father Ryan, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
Father Ryan might still be hurting after the 8-1 defeat they got from Pope John Paul II in their previous matchup back in March. Can the Irish avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
