The Allentown Central Catholic Vikings will face off against the Nativity BVM Green Wave at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Allentown Central Catholic is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Louis E. Dieruff on Friday as they made off with a 17-2 victory. The Vikings have beaten the Huskies the last nine times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Huskies has come to flipping the script.
Matthew Rader
| 04/25/25 @ Louis E. Dieruff | 4 |
| 04/23/25 vs Emmaus | 1 |
| 04/11/25 @ East Stroudsburg South | 1 |
| 04/09/25 @ Whitehall | 1 |
| 04/08/25 vs Pocono Mountain West | 1 |
Allentown Central Catholic let Matthew Rader and Michael Martinez run wild. Rader fired off two home runs and four RBI while going 2-for-2, while Martinez went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those four RBI gave Rader a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Aidan Sorrentino, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Allentown Central Catholic kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.5 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 8.8.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Nativity BVM, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Mahanoy Area with a sharp 10-1 win on Thursday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Green Wave considering their one-run performance the match before.
RYAN GRABOWSKI spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on one hit and racked up six Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, STEPHEN KARINCH and RYAN EXAMITIS did most of the damage at the plate: KARINCH got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while EXAMITIS got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was ZENO RUGH, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Allentown Central Catholic's victory bumped their record up to 11-5. As for Nativity BVM, they moved to 4-10 with that win, which also ended their three-game losing streak.
Nativity BVM's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Allentown Central Catholic hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .338. It's a different story for Nativity BVM, though, as they've only averaged .239. Will they be able to contain Allentown Central Catholic's hitters?
Allentown Central Catholic beat Nativity BVM 6-3 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Do the Vikings have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Green Wave turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
