Tampa Catholic hasn't had much luck against Academy of the Holy Names recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Crusaders will challenge the Jaguars at 6:00 p.m. Tampa Catholic will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
On Wednesday, Tampa Catholic was able to grind out a solid victory over Fort Meade, taking the game 4-1. That's two games straight that the Crusaders have won by exactly three runs.
Olivia Ricciardi spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits.
At the plate, Tampa Catholic saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lillie Bridges, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Academy of the Holy Names got the win against Shorecrest Prep on Thursday by a conclusive 12-1. The win continues a trend for the Jaguars in their matchups with the Chargers: they've now won three in a row.
Taylor Williams was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over four innings pitched. Williams was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Kacey Scott and Elise McQuiston did most of the damage at the plate: Scott went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI, while McQuiston went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most hits Scott has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Faith DeRing, who went 1-for-2 with two runs.
Tampa Catholic's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-7. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Academy of the Holy Names, their record is now 8-9.
Academy of the Holy Names' hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Tampa Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Academy of the Holy Names, though, as they've been averaging only 3.8 strikeouts. Will Tampa Catholic keep running through batters, or will the Jaguars buck the trend?
Tampa Catholic skirted past Academy of the Holy Names 9-7 when the teams last played back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Crusaders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
