The Heights hasn't had much luck against Bishop O'Connell recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Heights will head out to challenge Bishop O'Connell at 12:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
The Heights is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Burke a 10-0 shutout on Friday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for The Heights considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Jackson McDonnell was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over six innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI. That hit marked the first that he got this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on James Mraz, who scored three runs and stole five bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Those runs were his first of the season. Patrick Watson was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Bishop O'Connell is ranked highly in their home state and on Friday they took on another highly ranked team in the form of DeMatha. Bishop O'Connell had just enough and edged out DeMatha 5-4. The Knights haven't had any issues with the Stags recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Noah Haught spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four earned runs on five hits and racked up eight Ks. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024.
On the hitting side, Bishop O'Connell's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jack Woda, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
The Heights' record now sits at 2-4. As for Bishop O'Connell, their record is now 6-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. The Heights has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Bishop O'Connell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
The Heights might still be hurting after the 11-1 defeat they got from Bishop O'Connell when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can The Heights avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
