The St. John Fighting Herald will face off against the Harding Skippers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in St. John's favor as the squad sits on four straight wins at home while Harding has been banged up by six consecutive losses on the road dating back to last season.
St. John's hitters will try to repeat the strong performance they gave on Wednesday, when they got past Grand Valley's usually-dominant pitching crew. The Fighting Herald put the hurt on the Mustangs with a sharp 14-4 win. Considering the Fighting Herald have won five games by more than nine runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Aaron Wychock
| 04/16/25 @ Grand Valley | 7 |
| 04/04/25 vs Bristol | 5 |
| 03/30/25 vs Moniteau | 4 |
| 03/28/25 @ Metrolina Christian Academy | 0 |
| 05/23/24 vs Hillsdale | 4 |
| + 4 more games |
Aaron Wychock made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over three innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off two hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-5.
In other batting news, Dyln Newsome was a standout: he went 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Will Anderson, who scored two runs while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances.
St. John kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in six consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Harding). They came out on top against Lordstown by a score of 13-8 on Wednesday. The Skippers haven't had any issues with the Red Devils recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Like St. John, Harding also got a great game from a two-way player: Elijah Harless. Throwing, Harless struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Meanwhile, Abe Castellano struck out seven batters over 3.1 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs but no hits. Harless has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. At the plate, Harless scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3, while Castellano scored two runs and stole a base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nate Wright, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4. Yomar Castellano was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
St. John's win bumped their record up to 7-2. As for Harding, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-5.
Harding's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: St. John hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .418. It's a different story for Harding, though, as they've only averaged .197. Will they be able to contain St. John's hitters?
Everything went St. John's way against Harding in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as St. John made off with a 19-3 win. Do the Fighting Herald have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Skippers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
