Baseball Game Preview: Salem Academy Charter Navigator vs. Notre Dame Cristo Rey Panthers

The Salem Academy Charter Navigator will head out on the road to take on the Notre Dame Cristo Rey Panthers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.

Salem Academy Charter barely beat Cathedral the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Navigator blew past the Panthers 10-0 on Thursday. The win continues a trend for the Navigator in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won five in a row.

Yuriel Gonzalez Vargas

Batters Struck Out

05/08/25 vs Cathedral	17
04/29/25 vs Boston Collegiate	12
04/22/25 vs Notre Dame Cristo Rey	11
04/19/25 vs Excel Academy Charter	5
04/10/25 @ East Boston	12
03/28/25 @ Malden	9

Yuriel Gonzalez Vargas made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 17 over six innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That triple was his first of the season.

In other batting news, Jose Reyna was excellent, going 3-for-4 with four RBI. Isaac Solano was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.

Salem Academy Charter was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .379. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, while Notre Dame Cristo Rey scored more runs than they have all season, the final result was a bit underwhelming. They and Nashoba Valley Tech finished up their match with an 18-18 draw on Thursday.

Salem Academy Charter's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. Notre Dame Cristo Rey's draw gives them a new season record of 0-6-1.

Everything went Salem Academy Charter's way against Notre Dame Cristo Rey in their previous matchup back in April, as Salem Academy Charter made off with a 10-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Navigator since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.