The Grafton Bearcats are headed away from home for the first time to square off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Grafton proved they can win big on Monday (they won by 24) and on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past North Marion 15-13. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Bearcats, who until this matchup were averaging 3.83 runs allowed.
Mason Markley and Cam Gray did most of the damage at the plate: Markley scored a run while going 2-for-4, while Gray scored three runs and stole a base. The team also got some help courtesy of John Gouzd, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Notre Dame, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Ritchie County a 1-0 shutout on Tuesday.
Notre Dame's win was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Dominick Bombardiere, who scored a run while going 1-for-3. Britain Hill also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Grafton's victory bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Notre Dame, the win got them back to even at 2-2.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Grafton has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .465. However, it's not like Notre Dame struggles in that department as they've averaged .470. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Grafton skirted past Notre Dame 3-2 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will Grafton repeat their success, or does Notre Dame has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
