The Apex Friendship Patriots are taking a road trip to square off against the Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Apex Friendship was handed a ten-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Middle Creek, sneaking past 5-3. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Patriots as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Luke Hemric looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over four innings pitched. What's more, he gave up only one walk, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024.
At the plate, Apex Friendship's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Connor Sousa, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. That run was Sousa's first of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Cardinal Gibbons). They blew past Enloe 20-0 on Tuesday. Considering the Crusaders have won five games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Cardinal Gibbons let Cooper Mathews and Jakub Mudd run wild. Mathews scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-2, while Mudd scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Mudd is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played. Jack Bolte was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Cardinal Gibbons kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in March of 2024.
The victory (which was Cardinal Gibbons' fourth in a row) raised their record to 6-4. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.5 runs on average over those games. As for Apex Friendship, their record now sits at 3-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Apex Friendship has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cardinal Gibbons struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Apex Friendship came out on top in a nail-biter against Cardinal Gibbons in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, sneaking past 19-18. The rematch might be a little tougher for Apex Friendship since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
