St. Rita is 10-0 against De La Salle since April of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The St. Rita Mustangs will head out on the road to take on the De La Salle Meteors at 11:00 a.m. St. Rita is coming into the game hot, having won their last four games.
Last Wednesday, St. Rita got the win against Ogden International by a conclusive 10-3.
Peyton Panozzo was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Panozzo was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Jackson Stanek was a standout: he scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. MJ McKinney was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-1.
Meanwhile, De La Salle came up short against Oak Park-River Forest on Thursday and fell 12-7.
Kenny Perez made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and fired off two home runs and four RBI while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Joey Barboza, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
St. Rita's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-2. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs per game. As for De La Salle, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-5 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. Rita has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like De La Salle struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
St. Rita skirted past De La Salle 8-6 in their previous matchup back in March of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for St. Rita since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
