The McQuaid Jesuit Knights will challenge the Orchard Park Quakers at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
The home team had come away the winner the last six times McQuaid Jesuit and Penfield had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Knights sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-4 victory over the Patriots on Thursday. The Knights haven't had any issues with the Patriots recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Paul Rizzo was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.
Meanwhile, Orchard Park entered their tilt with West Seneca West on Thursday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 5-4 W against the Warhawks. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Quakers have posted against the Warhawks since April 5, 2022.
Zach Nalawadi made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit. Nalawadi was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
Nalawadi wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Brody Monaco, who went 1-for-2 with one run.
The win got McQuaid Jesuit back to even at 5-5. As for Orchard Park, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
McQuaid Jesuit came up short against Orchard Park when the teams last played back in May of 2024, falling 7-4. Will the Knights have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
