The Mater Dei Knights will face off against the Highland Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Mater Dei hasn't scored more than a single run for three games straight, a trend the team is eager to reverse.
Last Tuesday, Mater Dei came up short against Teutopolis and fell 5-1.
Ethan Wheelan was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. What's more, he gave up only one walk, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024.
On the hitting side, Trey Winkeler was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, Highland got themselves on the board against Granite City on Monday, but Granite City never followed suit. They blew past the Warriors 9-0. The win continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their matchups with the Warriors: they've now won five in a row.
Chase Knebel was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 12 over 5.2 innings pitched. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 5.2 strikeouts per game. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. That's the most hits he has posted since back in May of 2024.
In other batting news, Will Jansen and Garrin Stone did most of the damage at the plate: Jansen scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances, while Stone scored a run while going 1-for-2. Those two runs gave Jansen a new career-high. Carter Holthaus was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Highland hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Granite City struck out 13 times.
The victory got Highland back to even at 3-3. As for Mater Dei, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Mater Dei hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Highland struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Mater Dei couldn't quite finish off Highland when the teams last played back in April of 2024 and fell 8-6. Will the Knights have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
