The Berks Catholic Saints will take on the Schuylkill Valley Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Berks Catholic is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last four games.
Last Friday, Berks Catholic got the win against Wyomissing by a conclusive 7-1. The Saints might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by six runs or more this season.
Trey Stricker made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out nine over six innings pitched. Stricker was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Owen Schalk, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Aidan Curley was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Schuylkill Valley fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Tulpehocken on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Trojans by a score of 3-2. The Panthers have struggled against the Trojans recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost meeting.
Bodie James spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned runs on five hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, Schuylkill Valley saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tristan Goda, who went 3-for-4 with one RBI. Connor Huggard also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Schuylkill Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 3-7. As for Berks Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 6-2.
Schuylkill Valley's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Berks Catholic has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .465. It's a different story for Schuylkill Valley, though, as they've only averaged .347. Will they be able to contain Berks Catholic's hitters?
Berks Catholic took their win against Schuylkill Valley when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 9-1 score. Will the Saints repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
