Baseball Preview: St. John Paul II Panthers vs. Maclay Marauders
St. John Paul II is 0-10 against Maclay since May of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The St. John Paul II Panthers will be staying on the road to face off against the Maclay Marauders at 4:00 p.m. St. John Paul II is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 8.4 runs per game this season.
While St. John Paul II couldn't quite beat Aucilla Christian on Tuesday, the two-point margin was a huge improvement compared to the seven-point loss they were dealt last Tuesday. St. John Paul II fell just short of Aucilla Christian by a score of 4-2.
Jason Cantella put in work while hitting and pitching. He pitched three innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Cantella has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Cantella was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
In other batting news, Peyton Latimer was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times he's played.
Meanwhile, in what's become a running theme this season, Maclay gave their fans yet another huge victory on Friday. They put the hurt on Gadsden County with a sharp 19-1 win.
Like St. John Paul II, Maclay also got a great game from a two-way player: Henry Richardson. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Richardson was also big at the plate, scoring two runs.
In other batting news, Maclay got a massive performance out of Noah Chavez, who scored three runs while going 1-for-3. Another player making a difference was Landon Barineau, who scored three runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
St. John Paul II's defeat dropped their record down to 8-6. As for Maclay, their victory bumped their record up to 7-5-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. John Paul II has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Maclay struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.9. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
St. John Paul II came up short against Maclay when the teams last played back in March, falling 5-2. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Chavez, who didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 13 over 6.2 innings pitched. Now that St. John Paul II knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
