St. Joseph-by-the-Sea is on a seven-game streak of home wins, while St. Peter is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Vikings will host the Eagles at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (St. Joseph-by-the-Sea 1.5, St. Peter's 1.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
St. Joseph-by-the-Sea had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Mt. St. Michael Academy on Tuesday. The Vikings never let the Mountaineers get on the board and left with a 10-0 win. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by seven runs or more this season.
St. Joseph-by-the-Sea got a great performance from Anthony Abruzese as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Those seven strikeouts gave Abruzese a new career-high.
At the plate, Anthony DePetro was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Marchese, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
St. Joseph-by-the-Sea always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, St. Peter's gave up the first runs on Tuesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They came out on top against Fordham Prep by a score of 6-3.
Eddie Rethorn tossed a big game, striking out eight batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits.
On the hitting side, St. Peter's got a big performance out of Marco Aruta, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run. Aruta is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last five games he's played. Mateo Gordon was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
St. Peter's has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for St. Joseph-by-the-Sea, their win bumped their record up to 13-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. Joseph-by-the-Sea has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like St. Peter's struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
St. Joseph-by-the-Sea couldn't quite get it done against St. Peter's when the teams last played back in May of 2024 as they fell 5-1. Will the Vikings have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
