Baseball Game Preview: Holy Cross Cougars vs. Butler Bears

The Holy Cross Cougars will head out to square off against the Butler Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Holy Cross is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.

Holy Cross barely beat Fern Creek the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Cougars blew past the Tigers 17-11 on Monday. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since March 27, 2019, but that streak is no more.

Tyler Manning and Dillon Drake made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Manning tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Drake struck out six batters over 4.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off only two hits. Manning has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. At the plate, Manning went 2-for-6 with one home run and four RBI, while Drake went 1-for-5 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Manning is becoming a predictor of Holy Cross' success: when he posts at least three RBI the team is undefeated (and 14-16 when he doesn't).

Peyton McVey

Hits (Career)

05/12/25 @ Fern Creek	3
04/30/25 vs Shawnee	2
04/22/25 vs Bullitt East	2
04/04/25 vs Larue County	2
03/30/25 @ Meade County	2

In other batting news, Peyton McVey was a standout: he went 3-for-5 with one home run, four RBI, and two doubles. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Ace Foley, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.

Holy Cross lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, after soaring to ten runs the game before, Butler was a bit more limited in their match on Tuesday. They came up short against Bullitt East, falling 16-2. The Bears' loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.

Butler's defeat dropped their record down to 13-16. As for Holy Cross, they now have a winning record of 17-16.