The DePaul College Prep Rams will head out on the road to square off against the Aurora Central Catholic Chargers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
DePaul College Prep took an 11-run loss the last time they faced off against Lane Tech, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Rams came out on top in a nail-biter against the Champions on Wednesday, sneaking past 4-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Rams have posted since March 28th.
Lauren Steele spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Aurora Central Catholic). They were the clear victors by a 20-1 margin over Rosary on Wednesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Chargers considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Aniela Prestidge made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Those seven strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one home run and two runs. Those runs marked the first that she has scored this season.
In other batting news, Aurora Central Catholic let Morgan Vaghy and Corina Maratea run wild. Vaghy went a perfect 3-for-3 with six RBI, two runs, and two doubles, while Maratea went a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, four runs, and three RBI. Those four runs gave Maratea a new career-high. Grace Grunloh was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three stolen bases, four runs, and one RBI.
Aurora Central Catholic kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.6 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 10.
DePaul College Prep pushed their record up to 14-12 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Aurora Central Catholic, their record now sits at 6-16.
DePaul College Prep was able to grind out a solid win over Aurora Central Catholic when the teams last played two weeks ago, winning 6-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rams since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
