Pius XI Catholic had lost five straight at home, but on Wednesday they dropped their record down to 3-14 to make it six. They fell just short of the St. John's Northwestern Military Academy Lancers by a score of 10-8. That's two games in a row now that the Popes have lost by exactly two runs.
Vaughn Weber was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three runs and one double.
Owen Hickethier
| 05/14/25 vs St. John's Northwestern Military Academy | 2 |
| 04/23/25 vs West Allis Central | 2 |
| 04/22/25 @ West Allis Central | 2 |
| 05/13/25 vs Homestead | 1 |
| 05/09/25 @ Brookfield Academy | 1 |
| + 3 more games |
In other batting news, Owen Hickethier made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and one triple. He has become a key player for Pius XI Catholic: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 1-13 otherwise. Mariano Rivera was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one double.
As for St. John's Northwestern Military Academy, they moved to 4-9 with that victory, which also ended their three-game losing streak. With that win, they brought their scoring average up to 6.4 runs per game.
Like Pius XI Catholic, St. John's Northwestern Military Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: David Schroettner. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over 6.1 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). Those nine strikeouts gave Schroettner a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one double.
In other batting news, Matthias Ericksen was excellent, going 4-for-5 with two runs. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jack Dietrich, who went 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Coming up, Pius XI Catholic is taking a road trip to take on Germantown at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The Warhawks will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each matchup than the last. As for St. John's Northwestern Military Academy, they will be playing at home against Kenosha Christian Life at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
