The John Paul the Great Academy Guardians will head out on the road to face off against the Good Samaritan HomeSchool Hornets at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. John Paul the Great Academy has given up an average of 8.1 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
John Paul the Great Academy easily dispatched ARC Academy on Friday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Guardians fell just short of Acadiana Christian by a score of 14-12 on Tuesday. The loss continues a trend for the Guardians in their meetings with the Lions: they've now lost three in a row.
Luke Salvatierra was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, two doubles, and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Good Samaritan HomeSchool had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 9-2 margin over the Storm. The result was nothing new for the Hornets, who have now won four matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Eshton Pedraza was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances. Good Samaritan HomeSchool is undefeated when Pedraza posts two or more runs, but 1-2 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lane Bounds, who scored a run while going 2-for-2. Cooper Binagia was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base.
Good Samaritan HomeSchool always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .500 or higher in three consecutive games.
Good Samaritan HomeSchool's record now sits at 6-2. As for John Paul the Great Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-4.
John Paul the Great Academy might still be hurting after the 17-0 loss they got from Good Samaritan HomeSchool in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Can the Guardians avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
