The Kennedy Catholic Lancers will face off against the Auburn Riverside Ravens at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Kennedy Catholic lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Kentridge, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Wednesday's match. The Lancers' pitchers stepped up to hand the Chargers a 10-0 shutout on Wednesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Lancers considering their two-run performance the game before.
Dante Saladino
| 04/03/25 vs Tahoma | 3 |
| 03/22/25 @ Olympia | 1 |
Dante Saladino made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Kennedy Catholic is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 3-5 otherwise. Saladino was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Kennedy Catholic let Jesse LaBella and Elliot Kelley-Petersen run wild. LaBella scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Kelley-Petersen went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base and two RBI. LaBella is becoming a predictor of Kennedy Catholic's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 4-5 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Seamus Dunn, who scored two runs while going 1-for-1.
Kennedy Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .529. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Auburn Riverside came tearing into Tuesday's contest with three straight wins , and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Trojans with a sharp 8-2 win.
The team relied heavily on Cole Svendsen, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Nate Soto, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Kennedy Catholic's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-5. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Auburn Riverside, their victory bumped their record up to 7-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Kennedy Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Auburn Riverside struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Kennedy Catholic took their win against Auburn Riverside in their previous meeting back in March of 2023 by a conclusive 9-0 score. Will the Lancers repeat their success, or do the Ravens have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
