The Ursuline Fighting Irish will head out on the road to take on the Marlington Dukes at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Ursuline's victory against Struthers wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Fighting Irish had just enough and edged out the Wildcats 9-8. The Fighting Irish haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Anthony Triveri made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Ursuline is 2-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 4-6 otherwise. Triveri was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
AJ Snyder
| 04/17/25 @ Austintown-Fitch | 4 |
| 04/24/25 vs Struthers | 2 |
| 04/21/25 vs Columbiana | 2 |
| 04/22/25 vs Cardinal Mooney | 1 |
| 04/19/25 @ Padua Franciscan | 1 |
| + 4 more games |
In other batting news, AJ Snyder was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Ursuline is undefeated when Snyder posts two or more stolen bases, but 3-7 otherwise. Marc DelliQuadri also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Ursuline kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.2 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 10.2.
Meanwhile, Marlington had already won five in a row and they went ahead and made it six on Wednesday. They came out on top against the Lions by a score of 4-1.
Like Ursuline, Marlington also got a great game from a two-way player: Dylan Heatherington. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Heatherington has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024.
Heatherington wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Cole Jones, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave Jones a new career-high. Tatem Hoffman was another, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Marlington's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Ursuline, their record is now 6-7.
Marlington's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Ursuline has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .434. It's a different story for Marlington, though, as they've only averaged .338. Will they be able to contain Ursuline's hitters?
Ursuline was able to grind out a solid victory over Marlington in their previous matchup back in May of 2017, winning 6-3. Will the Fighting Irish repeat their success, or do the Dukes have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
