Columbia dropped to 18-8 on Monday, ending the team's three-game streak of wins on the road. They fell just short of the Morris Catholic Crusaders by a score of 2-1. That's two games in a row now that the Cougars have lost by just one run.
As for Morris Catholic, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-10 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games.
For Morris Catholic's part, Ava Florio spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up 12 Ks. Florio has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Emma Carnivale was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April. Rachel Dunn was another key player, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one run and one double.
Columbia and Morris Catholic should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps New Jersey Rankings. The Cougars will challenge Wayne Valley at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday with a big rank advantage (14 vs. 245). Meanwhile, Morris Catholic (ranked 21st) will meet Vernon (ranked 119th) at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Crusaders 4.1, the Vikings 3.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
