Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory hasn't had much luck against Saint Francis recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Fightin' Irish will welcome the Lancers at 3:30 p.m. Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.
Wednesday just wasn't the day for Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory's offense. They fell 5-0 to St. Ignatius College Preparatory on Wednesday. The Fightin' Irish's defeat continues a trend for the squad, making it three in a row.
Meanwhile, Saint Francis came tearing into Wednesday's game with 11 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.5 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They were the clear victors by a 19-2 margin over the Panthers. The result was nothing new for the Lancers, who have now won 15 contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Saint Francis got a great performance from Hailey Nguyen as she struck out 12 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. Those 12 strikeouts gave Nguyen a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Ava Bulanti and Hayden Hummel did most of the damage at the plate: Bulanti went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Hummel went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI Hummel has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Jaime Oakland, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Saint Francis kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 22 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in five consecutive matchups.
Saint Francis' win was their 14th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 22-2. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, their loss dropped their record down to 10-9.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like Saint Francis struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory might still be hurting after the 17-0 defeat they got from Saint Francis when the teams last played back in April. Will the Fightin' Irish have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
