The Catholic Central Hilltoppers will challenge the Brookfield Academy Blue Knights at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Last Thursday, Catholic Central beat St. Francis 13-8. The victory continues a trend for the Hilltoppers in their matchups with the Mariners: they've now won four in a row.
Catholic Central got a massive performance out of Isabella Arrieta, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Jenna Pechous, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-5.
Meanwhile, Brookfield Academy won against St. Francis on Tuesday with 11 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. The Blue Knights never let Lake Country Lutheran get on the board and left with an 11-0 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Blue Knights.
Makenna Best was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. She also hit a triple, marking her first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Riley Bodor, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024. Leora Schmidt also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Brookfield Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .536. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lake Country Lutheran only posted an OBP of .111.
Brookfield Academy's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 2-2. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Catholic Central, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Catholic Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Brookfield Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Catholic Central took their win against Brookfield Academy in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 11-5 score. Do the Hilltoppers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Blue Knights turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
