The Holy Ghost Prep Firebirds will head out on the road to face off against the Archbishop Wood Vikings at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.
On Saturday, Holy Ghost Prep came up short against Monsignor Bonner/Archbishop Prendergast Catholic and fell 9-5. The Firebirds have struggled against the Friars/Pandas recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost meeting.
Holy Ghost Prep got a good showing from Christopher Schnauffer, who tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Those zero hits allowed gave Schnauffer a new career-low.
At the plate, Eddie Rosado was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Wood had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Wednesday. Everything went their way against the Patriots as they made off with a 13-3 victory. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matchups by six runs or more this season.
Brady Sell looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Zach Neeld was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March of 2024. Sebastian McNab was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Archbishop Wood hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Archbishop Carroll struck out 11 times.
Archbishop Wood's record now sits at 11-3. As for Holy Ghost Prep, their loss dropped their record down to 6-6.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Holy Ghost Prep hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Archbishop Wood struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Holy Ghost Prep came out on top in a nail-biter against Archbishop Wood when the teams last played back in March of 2024, sneaking past 6-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Firebirds since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
