vs
| 03/26/25 - Home | 6-5 W |
| 03/23/19 - Neutral | 5-16 L |
| 03/13/15 - Neutral | 3-13 L |
Tampa Catholic took a 11-run defeat the last time they faced off against Palm Harbor University, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Tampa Catholic came out on top in a nail-biter against Palm Harbor University on Wednesday, sneaking past 6-5. For the Crusaders, this counts as revenge for the 16-5 victory the Hurricanes walked away with the last time they faced one another back in March of 2019.
Olivia Ricciardi spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and four unearned) runs on five hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Raegan Kirchen, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple marked the first that she hit this season. Another player making a difference was Josslynn Grimsley, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Tampa Catholic has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.5 runs over those games. Palm Harbor University's loss ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 10-4.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Tampa Catholic will square off against Trinity Catholic at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Palm Harbor University, they will challenge Berkeley Prep at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The last three games Berkeley Prep has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
