The Saint Mary's Panthers will face off against the Credo Gryphon at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Saint Mary's is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Victory Christian Academy a 13-0 shutout. The Panthers' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Saint Mary's got a great performance from Cooper Nitsan as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Nitsan also tossed no walks, which is notable because the Panthers are 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 6-16 otherwise.
Damien Nolan
| 05/21/25 vs Victory Christian Academy | 2 |
| 05/03/25 vs Lick-Wilmerding | 1 |
| 04/16/25 @ De Anza | 1 |
| 04/26/24 @ Pinole Valley | 1 |
At the plate, Damien Nolan was incredible, going 2-for-4 with two triples, three RBI, and two runs. Those two triples gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Lucas Nitsan, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Saint Mary's hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Victory Christian Academy struck out ten times.
Meanwhile, Credo came tearing into Wednesday's game with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Vikings 24-0. Considering the Gryphon have won nine contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Zach McKenna made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in five of his six plate appearances with one home run, six RBI, and four runs. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season.
In other batting news, Thadeus Cole was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. Clayton Rucker was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.
Credo's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-11. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.8 runs over those games. As for Saint Mary's, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 8-17 record this season.
