The Somerset Academy Panthers will head out on the road to take on the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
If Somerset Academy beats Cardinal Gibbons with eight runs on Wednesday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. Somerset Academy blew past Goleman 8-1 on Tuesday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.
Somerset Academy got a great performance from Julio Cardoso as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched.
Alan Sanchez
| 03/18/25 @ Goleman | 5 |
| 02/28/25 @ Mater Academy Charter | 3 |
| 03/06/25 @ American | 2 |
| 02/15/25 @ Sunset | 2 |
| 02/10/25 @ Archbishop Carroll | 2 |
| + 5 more games |
On the hitting side, Alan Sanchez was a standout: he scored three runs and stole Five bases. while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Somerset Academy is 4-1 when Sanchez posts two or more stolen bases, but 4-6 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Christian Cordero, who scored a run and stole Six bases. while going 1-for-3.
Somerset Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Goleman only posted a batting average of .192.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Gibbons had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Monday. They were the clear victor by a 13-2 margin over the Chargers. The Chiefs' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Cam Rizzi and Kendrick Julmis did most of the damage at the plate: Rizzi got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and two runs, while Julmis scored four runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Those four RBI gave Rizzi a new career-high. Peyton Douglas also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Cardinal Gibbons' win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-9. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 9.67 hits in those games compared to only 5.58 in the others. As for Somerset Academy, they now have a winning record of 8-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Somerset Academy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Cardinal Gibbons struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Somerset Academy came up short against Cardinal Gibbons in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 3-0. Can Somerset Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
