The Colerain Cardinals will take on the Reading Blue Devils at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
On Thursday, Colerain narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Middletown 7-5. That's two games straight that the Cardinals have won by exactly two runs.
Caleb Hesse spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered five runs (all of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up 12 Ks.
At the plate, Colerain saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Vinny Taylor, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Another was Nathan Johnson, who got on base in two of his three plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Reading). Their pitcher stepped up to hand Deer Park a 16-0 shutout on Wednesday. The Blue Devils not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since May 11, 2024 (when they won 21-3).
Garrett Minks made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Minks was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three RBI and two runs.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Connor Davis, who went 3-for-5 with four RBI, two doubles, and one stolen base. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played. Jackson Hirt was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and two RBI.
Reading always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .692. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The win got Colerain back to even at 4-4. As for Reading, their victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 4-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Colerain has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Reading struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Colerain came up short against Reading when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 10-7. Can the Cardinals avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
