The Melbourne Central Catholic Hustlers will take on the Bayside Bears at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Melbourne Central Catholic 3.9, Bayside 3.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Melbourne Central Catholic took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They walked away with a 7-4 victory over Scott County.
Levi Rollinger looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up a single earned run in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Tristan Colovic and Tanner Garza did most of the damage at the plate: Colovic scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Garza got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three RBI and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Bayside was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 7-6 heartbreaker at the hands of Tradition Prep.
Bayside saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Wesley Wolf, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3. Another was Brody Garrisson, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Melbourne Central Catholic has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-8 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Bayside, their loss dropped their record down to 12-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Melbourne Central Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bayside struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Melbourne Central Catholic couldn't quite get it done against Bayside in their previous meeting back in March as they fell 8-3. Will the Hustlers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
