Lockport hasn't had much luck against Brother Rice recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Porters will head out on the road to challenge the Crusaders at 4:30 p.m.
Lockport is headed into the contest having just suffered their closest loss since March 28, 2024 on Monday. They fell just short of Sandburg by a score of 7-5.
Lockport got a good showing from Nate Gorecki, who tossed 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Gorecki has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Adam Kozak made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. David Kundrat also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Meanwhile, Brother Rice entered their tilt with DePaul College Prep on Tuesday with ten consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with 11. They were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over the Rams. Considering the Crusaders have won eight games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Brother Rice also got a great performance from Danny Sheehan as he tossed 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. What's more, Sheehan posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in May of 2024.
On the hitting side, Anthony Cartolano and Aidan Nohava did most of the damage at the plate: Cartolano went 1-for-2 with three stolen bases, one triple, and two RBI, while Nohava scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Those three stolen bases gave Cartolano a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brady Cunningham, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Brother Rice's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Lockport, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-4.
Lockport came up short against Brother Rice in their previous meeting back in April of 2021, falling 8-4. Can the Porters avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.