Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Tampa Catholic walked away with it. They never let the Cardinal Mooney Cougars get on the board and left with a 10-0 win on Wednesday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Crusaders needed considering they were shut out in their previous game.
Olivia Ricciardi
| 05/07/25 vs Cardinal Mooney | 3 |
| 02/21/25 vs Sumner | 2 |
| 04/11/25 vs Berkeley Prep | 1 |
| 04/09/25 vs Shorecrest Prep | 1 |
| 03/14/25 vs Buchholz | 1 |
Olivia Ricciardi made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bella Busciglio, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Lillie Bridges, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Tampa Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .576. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Tampa Catholic's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-9. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Cardinal Mooney, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 13-7.
Looking ahead, Tampa Catholic will challenge Calvary Christian at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Warriors will roll in looking for their ninth straight victory, something the Crusaders surely won't give up without a fight. Cardinal Mooney does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
