Neumann-Goretti has enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the La Salle College Explorers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Neumann-Goretti: 3.4, La Salle College: 3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Last Wednesday, it was close, but Neumann-Goretti sidestepped Monsignor Bonner/Archbishop Prendergast Catholic for a 4-3 victory.
Neumann-Goretti got a great performance from Jayce Park as he struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits (and not a single walk). Park has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Andrew Dankanich, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-6. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Billy Smith, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but La Salle College had no problem doing just that on Wednesday. They never let the Crusaders onto the board and left with a 3-0 win. Winning may never get old, but La Salle College sure is getting used to it with their eighth in a row.
Logan Potter tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over 5.1 innings pitched.
At the plate, La Salle College's victory was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Matt Gannon, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Neumann-Goretti's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-5. As for La Salle College, their victory bumped their record up to 19-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Neumann-Goretti has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like La Salle College struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.9. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Neumann-Goretti was able to grind out a solid win over La Salle College in their previous meeting back in April, winning 5-2. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Potter, who struck out seven batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits (and not a single walk). Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Neumann-Goretti still be able to contain Potter? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
