The Covington Buccaneers will be taking part in a tournament against the Catholic Central Irish at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Covington is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 13.3 runs per game this season.
Covington saw some tournament action on Saturday. They walked away with a 7-3 victory over Beavercreek.
Whitney Burns
| 05/09/26 vs Beavercreek | 2 |
| 04/29/26 vs Milton-Union | 2 |
| 04/28/26 vs Bethel | 0 |
| 04/24/26 @ Tri-Village | 1 |
Whitney Burns spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on 11 hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Emalyn Johnson was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Taylor Foutz, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Catholic Central, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over Yellow Springs on Thursday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Irish considering their two-run performance the contest before.
Sophie Haycox made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 13 over five innings pitched. Those 13 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two triples, three RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, Catholic Central got a massive performance out of Maggie Louden, who went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, three RBI, and one run. Those three RBI gave Louden a new career-high. Makayla McClendon was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Catholic Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Covington is on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 15 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-5 record this season. As for Catholic Central, their win bumped their record up to 4-19.
Catholic Central's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Covington hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .462. It's a different story for Catholic Central, though, as they've only averaged .207. Will they be able to contain Covington's hitters?
Everything went Covington's way against Catholic Central when the teams last played back in May of 2025, as Covington made off with a 24-1 victory. Will the Buccaneers repeat their success, or do the Irish have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
