After both having extra time off, the Central Catholic Vikings and the Pine-Richland Rams will dust off their jerseys to challenge one another on Monday. Central Catholic is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Central Catholic is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Shaler Area just ended the team's three-game winning streak two weeks ago. They took a 7-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Titans.
Gavin Kelly made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all four of his plate appearances with a home run, two runs, and a double. Andres Hurkmans was another key contributor, going 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Pine-Richland, who bounced back after a loss on the road back in April. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-8 victory over North Allegheny on May 2nd.
Tristan Farrar looked comfortable as he tossed 2.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Peyton Ford, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-5. Another player making a difference was Anthony Mengine, who scored three runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Central Catholic's defeat dropped their record down to 10-10. As for Pine-Richland, they are on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 13 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-4 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Central Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pine-Richland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.2. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Central Catholic couldn't quite finish off Pine-Richland when the teams last played back in April of 2022 and fell 4-2. Thankfully for Central Catholic, Jacob McGuire (who struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
