Baseball Game Preview: Hartfield Academy Hawks vs. Pope John Paul II Jaguars

The Hartfield Academy Hawks will face off against the Pope John Paul II Jaguars at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Hartfield Academy had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 11-run drubbing they dealt Harrison Central on Wednesday. Hartfield Academy put the hurt on Harrison Central with a sharp 13-2 win. The result was nothing new for the Hawks, who have now won eight matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.

The team relied heavily on Sam Sheffield, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-5. What's more, he posted two doubles, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Humpherys, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-2.

Meanwhile, Pope John Paul II owes their pitching crew a big pat on the back after their performance on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by an 8-0 margin over Pascagoula. The Jaguars not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since February 13th.

Sammy Reynolds was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.

Pope John Paul II is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 12 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. Hartfield Academy's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-1.