The Newman Central Catholic Comets are taking a road trip to take on the Monmouth-Roseville Titans at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Newman Central Catholic has six straight wins, Monmouth-Roseville has six straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Newman Central Catholic is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 21-3 margin over Kewanee on Thursday. Considering the Comets have won eight matches by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Michael Morse
| 05/08/25 @ Kewanee | 1 |
| 05/02/25 vs Sherrard | 2 |
| 04/29/25 @ Princeton | 0 |
| 04/24/25 @ Hall | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Erie-Prophetstown | 2 |
| 04/09/25 @ Varsity Opponent | 2 |
Michael Morse and Garet Wolfe were major factors no matter where they played. Throwing, Morse tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. Meanwhile, Wolfe pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Morse has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. At bat, Morse went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI and one double, while Wolfe got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Daniel Kelly, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with five runs, two stolen bases, and two RBI. What's more, he posted three hits, the most he's had since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Ashton Miner, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases and four runs.
Newman Central Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Monmouth-Roseville lost 18-8 to Sherrard on Thursday. That's two games in a row now that the Titans have lost by exactly ten runs.
Nick Huston made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with three runs.
Newman Central Catholic pushed their record up to 21-3-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.7 runs over those games. As for Monmouth-Roseville, their loss dropped their record down to 7-18.
Monmouth-Roseville's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Newman Central Catholic hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .334. It's a different story for Monmouth-Roseville, though, as they've only averaged .236. Will they be able to contain Newman Central Catholic's hitters?
Newman Central Catholic was able to grind out a solid victory over Monmouth-Roseville in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, winning 5-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Comets since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
