The Greenhills Gryphons will challenge the Shrine Catholic Knights at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Greenhills will be looking to extend their current 11-game winning streak.
On Thursday, Greenhills had just enough and edged out Renaissance 10-8. That's two games straight that the Gryphons have won by exactly two runs.
Greenhills let Fran Love and Kade Mason run wild. Love went 3-for-4 with two runs and one triple, while Mason went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Talen Pilz, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Shrine Catholic made easy work of Oakland Christian on Monday and carried off a 13-5 win. Considering the Knights have won five matches by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Sean Murphy and Nate Alba made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Murphy pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Alba struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits (and not a single walk). At the plate, Murphy went 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI, while Alba got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
In other batting news, Jackson Poulton was incredible, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. What's more, he posted three hits, the most he's had since back in May of 2024. Blake Archibald was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one double.
Shrine Catholic's victory was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-3. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Greenhills, their victory bumped their record up to 18-3.
Shrine Catholic's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Greenhills hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .351. It's a different story for Shrine Catholic, though, as they've only averaged .251. Will they be able to contain Greenhills' hitters?
Greenhills took their win against Shrine Catholic in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 9-0 score. Do the Gryphons have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Knights turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
