The Cardinal Newman Cardinals will square off against the San Rafael Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Cardinal Newman sitting on 11 straight victories and San Rafael on three.
Cardinal Newman is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Encinal and snuck past 6-4.
Callie Howard was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off nine hits (and only one walk). Howard has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 23 consecutive pitching appearances. Howard was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Christell Mccormick, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Another player making a difference was Nicole DiMarco, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, San Rafael put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's third consecutive shutout on Tuesday. They never let Kennedy onto the board and left with a 4-0 win.
The result came thanks to Thomara Drummer's shutout, as she gave up just two hits and racked up 16 Ks.
At the plate, San Rafael let Sophia Everett and Angel Amesa loose on the outfield. Everett scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4, while Amesa went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a double.
Cardinal Newman pushed their record up to 23-5 with that victory, which was their seventh straight on the road. As for San Rafael, their win bumped their record up to 23-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cardinal Newman has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like San Rafael struggles in that department as they've been averaging 12.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cardinal Newman came out on top in a nail-biter against San Rafael when the teams last played back in March of 2023, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cardinal Newman since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
