The Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders are on the road again on Tuesday to play the Ashley Screaming Eagle at 6:30 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Cardinal Gibbons is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-6 victory over Wake Forest.
Owen Hines looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off one hit.
At the plate, Cardinal Gibbons got a massive performance out of Cam Tarkenton, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with a home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Damon Phillips, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Ashley faced Pinecrest in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. Ashley had just enough and edged Pinecrest out 3-2. The win was familiar territory for Ashley who now have seven in a row.
Cole Barnes was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed nine innings while giving up just two earned runs off ten hits. Barnes has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't pitched less than six innings in three consecutive pitching appearances. Barnes was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Barnes wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Will Hartzell, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Cardinal Gibbons is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a massive bump to their 15-13 record this season. As for Ashley, their victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 23-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cardinal Gibbons has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ashley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cardinal Gibbons was able to grind out a solid win over Ashley when the teams last played back in May of 2017, winning 6-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cardinal Gibbons since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
