Softball Preview: St. John Paul II Catholic Lions vs. Kingman Academy Tigers
St. John Paul II Catholic is 0-7 against Kingman Academy since March of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The St. John Paul II Catholic Lions will look to defend their home field against the Kingman Academy Tigers at 3:45 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the pair posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
St. John Paul II Catholic is is headed into Friday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fifth straight game on Wednesday. They fell just short of Chandler Prep by a score of 12-11.
Iris Guzman made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs while going 3-for-5. Another player making a difference was Nadia Wondrash, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Even though they lost, St. John Paul II Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .457. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Chandler Prep only posted a batting average of .250.
Meanwhile, Kingman Academy put the finishing touches on their ninth blowout victory of the season on Thursday. They blew past Kingman 14-1. The win was familiar territory for Kingman Academy who now have three in a row.
Alexa Valdez made a splash no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits over five innings pitched. Valdez has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive pitching appearances. Valdez was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two triples, three RBI, and a run.
In other batting news, Taylee Mote was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI. Faythe Lafirenza was another key contributor, going 2-for-4 with three runs, a triple, and two RBI.
St. John Paul II Catholic's defeat dropped their record down to 9-15-1. As for Kingman Academy, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a massive bump to their 9-9 record this season.
Friday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. St. John Paul II Catholic hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .428. However, it's not like Kingman Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .344. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
St. John Paul II Catholic might still be hurting after the 14-0 loss they got from Kingman Academy in their previous matchup on April 2nd. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Valdez, who kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over five innings pitched. Now that St. John Paul II Catholic knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
