The Xaverian Brothers Hawks will venture away from home to square off against the Mansfield Hornets at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Xaverian Brothers' pitching crew has only allowed 3.2 runs per game this season, so Mansfield's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Xaverian Brothers is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Bishop Hendricken, who was ranked first in their home state at the time (Xaverian Brothers was ranked fifth). Xaverian Brothers came out on top against Bishop Hendricken by a score of 10-6 on Sunday. The high-scoring effort was just what Xaverian Brothers needed considering they were shut out in their previous matchup.
Paul McCarthy looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
At the plate, Xaverian Brothers let Jack O'Neil and Jackson Morse run wild. O'Neil went 2-for-5 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Morse went 2-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That triple marked the first that O'Neil has hit this season. Brady Hargraves was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Xaverian Brothers kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April.
Meanwhile, Mansfield entered their tilt with Oliver Ames on Saturday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They walked away with a 6-1 win over the Tigers. Six seems to be a good number for the Hornets as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Luke Rogan spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on six hits and racked up 11 Ks. He is becoming a predictor of Mansfield's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 6-1 (and 8-9 when he doesn't).
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Ethan Kucharski, who went 3-for-4 with two runs and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Darrian Sanders, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Xaverian Brothers' record now sits at 15-5. As for Mansfield, their record is now 14-10.
Xaverian Brothers took their win against Mansfield when the teams last played back in April by a conclusive 8-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
