The Brother Rice Crusaders will face off against the Maine South Hawks at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Brother Rice is coming into the game hot, having won their last 12 games.
Brother Rice proved they can win big on Tuesday (they won by six) and on Wednesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged out Lockport 5-4.
Brayden McKendrick tossed a big game, tossing six innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Brother Rice's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jackson Natanek, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Maine South). Everything went their way against Glenbrook South on Thursday as they made off with a 12-2 victory. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Maine South also got a great performance from Connor Griffin as he pitched five innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. What's more, Griffin posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024.
At the plate, Luka Stojakovic was a standout: he went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Nate Cera, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run.
Maine South kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in three consecutive matches.
Brother Rice pushed their record up to 13-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. As for Maine South, they now have a winning record of 8-7.
Maine South's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Brother Rice has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .523. It's a different story for Maine South, though, as they've only averaged .363. Will they be able to contain Brother Rice's hitters?
Brother Rice skirted past Maine South 6-5 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Do the Crusaders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Hawks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
