The Central Catholic Buttons will challenge the Alexander Bulldogs at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Central Catholic 3.6, Alexander 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Central Catholic took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand United a 9-0 shutout.
Sam Garcia tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over 6.2 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Central Catholic let Luke Ramos and Matthew McClenan run wild. Ramos got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three RBI and two runs, while McClenan went 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most hits McClenan has posted over his last eight games. Rick Ramirez was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one triple and two RBI.
Central Catholic hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for Alexander's offense. They came up short against United South on Tuesday, falling 8-0. Having soared to a lofty 12 runs in the game before, the Bulldogs' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Central Catholic pushed their record up to 12-7 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.2 runs over those games. As for Alexander, their loss dropped their record down to 9-5.
Everything went Central Catholic's way against Alexander when the teams last played back in March of 2025, as Central Catholic made off with a 13-5 victory. Do the Buttons have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bulldogs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
