The Neshannock Lancers will face off against the Serra Catholic Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Neshannock sitting on seven straight wins and Serra Catholic on four.
On Friday, Neshannock was able to grind out a solid victory over Hickory, taking the game 6-3.
Denny Joseph looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one walk any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Neshannock let Jackson Biondi and Anthony Eakin run wild. Biondi went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one double, while Eakin went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Hunter Wilson, who went 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Serra Catholic won against Belle Vernon on Wednesday with ten runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. The Eagles put the hurt on Our Lady of the Sacred Heart with a sharp 10-1 win. Considering the Eagles have won 14 contests by more than eight runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Owen Dumbroski made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March. He was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Jake Holmes was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Matt McNeal was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs.
Serra Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .455. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .318 or higher in five consecutive matchups.
Neshannock's victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-4. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Serra Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 17-3.
Both Neshannock and Serra Catholic just can't seem to miss. The Lancers have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.2 hits per game. However, it's not like Serra Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.8 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Neshannock suffered a grim 8-2 defeat to Serra Catholic in their previous meeting back in May of 2022. Can the Lancers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
