The Italy Gladiators will face off against the Ellis County Christian Homeschool Organization Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Italy is looking for their season's first win.
On Saturday, Italy didn't have quite enough to beat Hillsboro and fell 11-9.
Austin Cate
| 03/08/25 vs Hillsboro | 4 |
| 02/28/25 @ Itasca | 1 |
| 02/28/25 vs Hubbard | 3 |
Austin Cate was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. Cate was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing Four bases. while going 4-for-5. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played.
In other batting news, Brady Whitney and Tripp Slovak stepped up to the plate in a big way. Whitney scored three runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-4, while Slovak scored a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Rhet Mathers also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Even though they lost, Italy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in March of 2024.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Ellis County Christian Homeschool Organization). Their pitchers stepped up to hand Hubbard a 15-0 shutout two weeks ago. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Marcos Marroquin made a splash no matter where he played. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Marroquin was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in February of 2024.
In other batting news, Benjamin Kinsala and Colton Stone did most of the damage at the plate: Kinsala scored four runs and stole Three bases. while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances, while Stone scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Kinsala has become a key player for Ellis County Christian Homeschool Organization: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-4 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Riley John White, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-4.
Italy's defeat dropped their record down to 0-6. As for Ellis County Christian Homeschool Organization, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
