The Taft School Big Red will take on the St. Luke's Storm at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Taft School and Westminster School meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Big Red blew past the Martlets 9-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Big Red have posted against the Martlets since April 23, 2021.
Evan Douglas looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
At the plate, Noah Jettelson was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Cayden Van Dolah, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, St. Luke's earned an 11-8 victory over Greens Farms Academy on Thursday. The Storm haven't had any issues with the Dragons recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Nate Kesselmark was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. Kesselmark was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Kesselmark is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Christian Brown, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4. Those hits marked the first that he got this season. David Carioto was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Taft School's victory was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 1-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for St. Luke's, their victory bumped their record up to 3-1.
Taft School took their win against St. Luke's in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 23-9 score. Will the Big Red repeat their success, or do the Storm have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
