A feisty cat fight will be fought as Somerset Academy Panthers face off against Chaminade-Madonna Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
On Monday, Somerset Academy didn't have quite enough to beat iMater Charter and fell 6-5.
Liam DeCicco was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over 4.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
Tristan Sierra
| 03/10/25 @ iMater Charter | 2 |
| 03/06/25 @ American | 1 |
| 04/09/24 @ Pine Crest | 1 |
| 03/28/24 vs IMG Academy Navy | 1 |
| 03/26/24 vs Manatee | 1 |
On the hitting side, Tristan Sierra and Jon Mora stepped up to the plate in a big way. Sierra scored a run and stole Two bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while Mora scored a run and stole Four bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. The dominant performance gave Sierra a new career-high in stolen bases. Alan Sanchez also deserves some recognition as he hit his first doubles of the season.
Meanwhile, Chaminade-Madonna waltzed into their game on Thursday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They came out on top against the Eagles by a score of 6-2.
Santi Arismendi tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Nolan Loonam, who scored a run while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Somerset Academy has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-6 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.8 runs over those games. Chaminade-Madonna's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Somerset Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Chaminade-Madonna struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Somerset Academy beat Chaminade-Madonna 8-4 in their previous meeting back in February of 2023. Will Somerset Academy repeat their success, or does Chaminade-Madonna have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
