The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders will challenge the Flanagan Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. St. Thomas Aquinas is coming into the match hot, having won their last five games.
St. Thomas Aquinas is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They blew past Cooper City 9-1. Considering the Raiders have won 15 contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Thomas Giltner
| 04/16/25 vs Cooper City | 5 |
| 04/03/25 vs Nova | 4 |
| 03/15/25 vs Miami Christian | 4 |
| 03/08/25 @ Jesuit | 4 |
| 02/26/25 @ Stoneman Douglas | 4 |
Thomas Giltner looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five).
At the plate, Zack Malvasio was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Cole Lasher was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
St. Thomas Aquinas lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now launched at least two home runs in seven consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Flanagan posted their closest win since March 18th on Wednesday. They skirted past Nova 7-5. The Falcons haven't had any issues with the Titans recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Jose Mercano was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Miguel Colmenares, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Carter Roberts, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one home run.
St. Thomas Aquinas' record now sits at 20-5-1. As for Flanagan, their record is now 12-15.
Flanagan's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: St. Thomas Aquinas hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .346. It's a different story for Flanagan, though, as they've only averaged .238. Will they be able to contain St. Thomas Aquinas' hitters?
St. Thomas Aquinas was able to grind out a solid win over Flanagan in their previous meeting back in February, winning 4-0. Will the Raiders repeat their success, or do the Falcons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
