Tampa Catholic has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Academy of the Holy Names Jaguars at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Monday, Tampa Catholic made easy work of Shorecrest Prep and carried off an 11-1 victory. While fans of Tampa Catholic might be used to big wins, the ten-run margin marked the team's biggest win yet this season.
Olivia Ricciardi looked comfortable as she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (she also only allowed one walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances. Madison Fulguiera picked up the save, tossing three innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit (she also only allowed one walk).
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brooke O'Gradney, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Bella Busciglio, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Academy of the Holy Names can finally bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Saturday. Everything went their way against Osceola as Academy of the Holy Names made off with a 15-6 victory. The win was just what Academy of the Holy Names needed coming off of a 9-3 defeat in their prior contest.
Shelby Savitt made a splash no matter where she played. She tossed seven innings while giving up just one earned (and five unearned) runs off ten hits (she also only allowed one walk). Savitt was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Maisi Sigler, who went 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI. Ava LaBarbara was another key contributor, scoring three runs while going 3-for-4.
Tampa Catholic's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-5. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs per game. As for Academy of the Holy Names, their record now sits at 7-5.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Tampa Catholic hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Academy of the Holy Names struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.8 per game. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Tampa Catholic came up short against Academy of the Holy Names in their previous matchup back in February, falling 8-3. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Savitt, who pitched seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Now that Tampa Catholic knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
