The Althoff Catholic Crusaders will head out to take on the Maryville Christian Lions at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Althoff Catholic is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.
The home team had come away the winner the last four times Althoff Catholic and Mater Dei had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Crusaders came out on top against the Knights by a score of 9-4 on Monday.
Luke Smith looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two hits in eight consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Bo Gomric was a standout: he got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Cooper Zimmer was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Althoff Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .537. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mater Dei only posted an OBP of .314.
Meanwhile, while Maryville Christian put up some runs last Friday, the same can't be said for Lebanon. The Lions walked away with a 4-0 victory over the Greyhounds. The win was some much needed relief for the Lions as it spelled an end to their five-game losing streak.
Not much got past Max Kalish, who gave up just two hits and racked up 14 Ks to keep Lebanon off the board. Kalish also tossed no walks, which is notable because Maryville Christian is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 0-6 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Maryville Christian's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Blake Plummer, who went 1-for-2 with one run. Brady Elliff also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Althoff Catholic's win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 11-9. As for Maryville Christian, they picked up their first home victory, bumping their record up to 2-7.
Maryville Christian's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Althoff Catholic has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .454. It's a different story for Maryville Christian, though, as they've only averaged .251. Will they be able to contain Althoff Catholic's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
