The Tampa Catholic Crusaders will face off against the Cardinal Mooney Cougars at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Tampa Catholic 2.8, Cardinal Mooney 2.3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Tampa Catholic is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Badin just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell just short of the Rams by a score of 4-3.
Talan Miranda
| 04/03/25 vs Badin | 1 |
| 03/28/25 vs Jesuit | 0 |
| 03/17/25 vs Carrollwood Day | 1 |
Tampa Catholic got a good showing from Talan Miranda, who pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Miranda has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Cal Johnson made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Cardinal Mooney duked it out with North Port on Thursday. The Cougars had just enough and edged out the Bobcats 3-2. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Bobcats recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive win against them.
Keaton White looked comfortable as he tossed 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned run but no hits.
On the hitting side, Cardinal Mooney's victory was truly a team effort as seven different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jake Armstrong, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that Armstrong hit this season.
Tampa Catholic's defeat dropped their record down to 16-5. As for Cardinal Mooney, their win bumped their record up to an identical 16-5.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Tampa Catholic hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .314. However, it's not like Cardinal Mooney struggles in that department as they've averaged .337. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Tampa Catholic skirted past Cardinal Mooney 4-2 in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Do the Crusaders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cougars turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
