John Carroll Catholic is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Thursday. They will face off against the Cocoa Beach Minutemen at 6:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
John Carroll Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy 10-3. The win was familiar territory for the Rams, who have now won five matches in a row.
John Carroll Catholic got a massive performance out of Taggert Cameron, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. What's more, Cameron posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in March. Another player making a difference was Brycen Payne, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
John Carroll Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .553. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy only posted an OBP of .276.
Meanwhile, Cocoa Beach got the win against Melbourne Central Catholic on Monday by a conclusive 11-3. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Minutemen.
Connor McGrew made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Colton Marshall, who went 4-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Kristian Wolfe was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
John Carroll Catholic pushed their record up to 16-9 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Cocoa Beach, their record is now 15-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. John Carroll Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cocoa Beach struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
