The Bishop McLaughlin Catholic Hurricanes will venture away from home to challenge the Tampa Catholic Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Bishop McLaughlin Catholic's pitching crew has only allowed 3.3 runs per game this season, so Tampa Catholic's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Bishop McLaughlin Catholic had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Anclote on Tuesday. Bishop McLaughlin Catholic was the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over Anclote. The Hurricanes have beaten the Sharks the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Sharks has come to flipping the script.
Noah Cartiglia
| 02/27/25 vs Saint Mary's Hall | 2 |
| 03/11/25 vs Anclote | 1 |
| 03/03/25 @ Anclote | 1 |
| 02/11/25 vs Hudson | 1 |
Noah Cartiglia looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Bishop McLaughlin Catholic is undefeated when he allows at most two walks, but 3-4 otherwise.
At the plate, Jadin Soto was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing Two bases. while going 2-for-2. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in stolen bases. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Pizzo, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with three RBI.
Bishop McLaughlin Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .458. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Tampa Catholic didn't have quite enough to beat Tampa Prep on Tuesday and fell 3-2. That's two games in a row now that the Crusaders have lost by just one run.
Talan Miranda was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched 5.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off only one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one hit in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Cal Johnson made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while going 1-for-2.
This is the second loss in a row for Tampa Catholic and nudges their season record down to 11-2. Even worse, they were so close so many times: the defeats came by an average of only one runs. As for Bishop McLaughlin Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 7-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bishop McLaughlin Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Tampa Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bishop McLaughlin Catholic skirted past Tampa Catholic 4-2 in their previous meeting back in April of 2021. Does Bishop McLaughlin Catholic have another victory up their sleeve, or will Tampa Catholic turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
