The Archbishop Wood Vikings will venture away from home to square off against the St. Joseph's Prep Hawks at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Archbishop Wood is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.5 runs per game this season.
Archbishop Ryan hit Archbishop Wood with a four-run seventh inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Vikings took a 7-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Raiders and Ragdolls. The Vikings have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Richie Bayachek
| 04/22/25 vs Archbishop Ryan | 10 |
| 04/16/25 vs Father Judge | 6 |
| 04/10/25 vs Lansdale Catholic | 8 |
| 04/02/25 vs Neumann-Goretti | 10 |
| 03/26/25 @ Monsignor Bonner/Archbishop Prendergast Catholic | 6 |
Richie Bayachek was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out ten batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, AJ Hopkins was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Caden Vacca, who went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for St. Joseph's Prep, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over Roman Catholic on Tuesday. The Hawks have beaten the Cahillite the last five times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Cahillite has come to flipping the script.
Eddie Dingle looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over four innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Will Ward, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season. Robby Grasso was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
St. Joseph's Prep always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .545. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
St. Joseph's Prep picked up their first home win, bumping their record up to 6-7. As for Archbishop Wood, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Archbishop Wood has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like St. Joseph's Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Archbishop Wood came up short against St. Joseph's Prep in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, falling 5-2. Can the Vikings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
