The Indianapolis Shortridge Blue Devils will face off against the Cathedral Fighting Irish at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Indianapolis Shortridge has given up an average of 12.6 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Last Saturday, Indianapolis Shortridge came up short against Anderson Prep Academy and fell 19-16. Even though they lost, the Blue Devils' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.7 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).
Indianapolis Shortridge saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tate Turman, who went 2-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That double was Turman's first of the season. Another was Josh Pena-Mendez, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Cathedral unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Saturday. They took a 6-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of Carmel.
Cathedral also got a good showing from Luke Finn, who tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. The dominant performance also gave Finn a new career-low in walks (one).
At the plate, Eli Sinsabaugh made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
Cathedral's defeat dropped their record down to 17-9-1. As for Indianapolis Shortridge, their loss dropped their record down to 3-11.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Indianapolis Shortridge has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .449. However, it's not like Cathedral struggles in that department as they've averaged .433. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Indianapolis Shortridge suffered a grim 16-1 defeat to Cathedral in their previous matchup back in May of 2021. Can the Blue Devils avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.