It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Pope John Paul II had no problem doing just that on Monday. They had just enough and edged the Kennard-Dale Rams out 3-2. The win was familiar territory for Pope John Paul II who now have three in a row.
Lexi DiBricida spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on nine hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in nine consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Rylee Derecola was excellent, going 1-for-3 with a triple, a run, and an RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Molly Houchins, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and an RBI.
On Kennard-Dale's side, Maddie Argiro made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and an RBI. Another player making a difference was Taylor Rinaudo, who went 2-for-3 with a double.
Even though they lost, Kennard-Dale didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with eight strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pope John Paul II only tossed four.
Pope John Paul II pushed their record up to 15-8 with that victory, which was their fifth straight at home. As for Kennard-Dale, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 17-7.
Pope John Paul II will take on Blue Mountain at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. Blue Mountain will roll in looking for their 19th straight win, something Pope John Paul II surely won't give up without a fight. Kennard-Dale does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
