Baseball Game Preview: Spanish River Sharks vs. St. John Paul II Academy Eagles

The Spanish River Sharks will venture away from home to square off against the St. John Paul II Academy Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Spanish River has three straight victories, St. John Paul II Academy has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

The home team had won the previous three meetings between Spanish River and Santaluces, and Spanish River kept the tradition alive. The Sharks were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Chiefs on Wednesday. That looming 12-2 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Sharks yet this season.

Cody Carson

Batters Struck Out (Career)

04/02/25 vs Santaluces	3
03/26/25 @ St. Thomas Aquinas	1
03/17/25 @ Dr. Joaquin Garcia	1
03/14/25 vs St. Brendan	1
02/27/25 vs Park Vista	1

Cody Carson looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three).

On the hitting side, Andrew DeRosa was a standout: he scored two runs while going 1-for-3. Dylan Brown also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Spanish River hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four strikeouts batters in three consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for St. John Paul II Academy's offense. They took a 4-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of Cardinal Newman on Tuesday. Eagles fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Crusaders since on Tuesday.

Spanish River's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-9. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs over those games. As for St. John Paul II Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-7-1.

Spanish River beat St. John Paul II Academy 6-3 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Sharks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.