The Pius XI Catholic Popes will venture away from home to face off against the Germantown Warhawks at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Pius XI Catholic has struggled recently with nine losses in a row, while Germantown will arrive with three straight victories.
Pius XI Catholic blew St. John's Northwestern Military Academy out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Wednesday St. John's Northwestern Military Academy got their revenge. The Popes fell just short of the Lancers by a score of 10-8. That's two games in a row now that the Popes have lost by exactly two runs.
Vaughn Weber was huge no matter where he played even without the win. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three runs and one double.
Owen Hickethier
| 05/14/25 vs St. John's Northwestern Military Academy | 2 |
| 04/23/25 vs West Allis Central | 2 |
| 04/22/25 @ West Allis Central | 2 |
| 05/13/25 vs Homestead | 1 |
| 05/09/25 @ Brookfield Academy | 1 |
| + 3 more games |
In other batting news, Owen Hickethier was cooking despite his team's loss, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and one triple. Pius XI Catholic is 2-1 when Hickethier posts two or more stolen bases, but 1-13 otherwise. Morgan Gillitzer was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, Germantown made easy work of Brookfield Central on Wednesday and carried off an 8-1 win.
Like Pius XI Catholic, Germantown also got a great game from a two-way player: Carter Gordon. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Gordon was even better at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, one double, and one RBI. Those three runs gave him a new career-high.
In other pitching news, Liam Hagland tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk).
Back at the plate, Ty Olszewski was incredible, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and three runs. Vinny Inga also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Pius XI Catholic's defeat dropped their record down to 3-14. As for Germantown, their record is now 13-4.
Pius XI Catholic suffered a grim 15-5 defeat to Germantown in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Popes avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
