The Grafton Bearcats will challenge the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Grafton had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the eight-run drubbing they dealt St. Marys on Wednesday. The Bearcats put the hurt on the Blue Devils with a sharp 12-4 win.
John Gouzd was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Grafton is 3-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 11-12 otherwise. Gouzd was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. That's the most hits he has posted over his last 14 matches.
Grant Murphy
| 04/30/25 @ St. Marys | 3 |
| 04/02/25 @ Preston | 2 |
| 03/27/25 @ Notre Dame | 2 |
| 03/24/25 vs Tucker County | 2 |
| 04/29/25 vs Preston | 1 |
In other batting news, Grant Murphy was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Cam Gray was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame waltzed into their contest on Monday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They blew past the Hornets 18-2. The Fighting Irish might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by nine runs or more this season.
The team relied heavily on Dominick Bombardiere, who went a perfect 5-for-5 with three stolen bases, four runs, and five RBI. Another player making a difference was Kaiden Posey, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with four stolen bases and four runs.
Notre Dame's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-5. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Grafton, they now have a winning record of 14-13.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Grafton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Notre Dame struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Grafton beat Notre Dame 7-2 when the teams last played back in March. Will the Bearcats repeat their success, or do the Fighting Irish have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
