Baseball Recap: Cardinal Newman Takes Down St. John Paul II Academy in a Playoff Battle

Cardinal Newman had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They had just enough and edged out the St. John Paul II Academy Eagles 3-2 on Tuesday. Three seems to be a good number for the Crusaders as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.

Blake Anderson

Base on Balls Against

04/15/25 vs St. John Paul II Academy	1
04/07/25 vs Spanish River	1
04/01/25 @ St. John Paul II Academy	1
03/26/25 vs Williamsburg	2
03/20/25 vs American Heritage	1
+ 3 more games

Blake Anderson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on four hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Gabriel Acevedo was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. Finn Duran also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.

The win made it two in a row for Cardinal Newman and bumps their season record up to 22-3-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 2 run in those games. As for St. John Paul II Academy, with the defeat, they broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 16-8-1.

Looking ahead, Cardinal Newman will welcome King's Academy at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Crusaders 2.5, the Lions 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned. St. John Paul II Academy does not have any more games scheduled as of now.