The Cardinal Mooney Cougars will square off against the Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Cardinal Mooney will be strutting in after a win while Clearwater Central Catholic will be coming in after a loss.
Last Tuesday, Cardinal Mooney beat Manatee 7-2. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cougars.
Colton Hyde
| 03/25/25 @ Manatee | 7 |
| 02/25/25 @ North Port | 6 |
| 02/19/25 @ Lakewood Ranch | 6 |
| 03/18/25 vs Southeastern Prep Academy National | 5 |
| 03/10/25 @ Out-of-Door Academy | 5 |
Colton Hyde tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits (and not a single walk). Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Brady Zaun, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Wyatt Hossenlopp, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Clearwater Central Catholic scored the most runs they've had this season on Tuesday, but it wasn't enough. They fell just short of Shorecrest Prep by a score of 11-10. The Marauders just can't catch a break and have now endured three defeats in a row.
Zach Wheeler was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. He also put up three hits, which were his first of the season.
At the plate, Matthew Covello and Luke Brkljacic did some serious damage despite the final result: Covello scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Brkljacic scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Jamie Vann was another key player, going 2-for-5 with three RBI and one double.
Even though they lost, Clearwater Central Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .513. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Clearwater Central Catholic's loss dropped their record down to 3-13. As for Cardinal Mooney, their victory bumped their record up to 14-3.
Cardinal Mooney beat Clearwater Central Catholic 4-1 when the teams last played on March 6th. Will Cardinal Mooney repeat their success, or does Clearwater Central Catholic has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
