The Roxana Shells will face off against the Althoff Catholic Crusaders at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Roxana's pitching crew has only allowed 3.1 runs per game this season, so Althoff Catholic's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Breese Central hit Roxana with a five-run third inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Shells took a 7-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Cougars. The Shells have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Bradley Herrin was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run over 4.1 innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Sean Maberry was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Althoff Catholic never let their opponents score on Tuesday. They blew past Maryville Christian 17-0. That looming 17-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Crusaders yet this season.
Alec Underwood looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
At the plate, Cooper Zimmer was excellent, going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Trey Schott, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two RBI and one run.
Althoff Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .483. They are 5-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
The win made it two in a row for Althoff Catholic and bumps their season record up to 12-9. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Roxana, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-5-1.
Roxana was able to grind out a solid win over Althoff Catholic in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, winning 4-0. Will the Shells repeat their success, or do the Crusaders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
