Indian Rocks Christian hasn't had much luck against Tampa Catholic recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Indian Rocks Christian Eagles will take on the Tampa Catholic Crusaders at 6:30 p.m.
Indian Rocks Christian is headed into Friday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Tuesday. They lost 10-2 to Countryside.
Indian Rocks Christian saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Hunter Maddox, who scored a run while going 1-for-3. Noah Mortellite also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, Tampa Catholic put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They were the clear victor by an 18-1 margin over Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate. With that win, the Crusaders brought their scoring average up to 8 runs per game.
Drew Dunlop looked comfortable as he struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk).
At the plate, Cal Johnson was a standout: he scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-5. Daniel Smythe was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one triple, and one double.
Tampa Catholic kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in February of 2024.
Tampa Catholic pushed their record up to 5-0 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Indian Rocks Christian, they now have a losing record of 2-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Indian Rocks Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Tampa Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Indian Rocks Christian might still be hurting after the 11-1 loss they got from Tampa Catholic in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can Indian Rocks Christian avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
