Baseball Game Preview: Coastal HomeSchool Hurricanes vs. John Paul II Golden Warrriors

The Coastal HomeSchool Hurricanes will take on the John Paul II Golden Warrriors at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Coastal HomeSchool has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with three straight losses, while John Paul II will come in with four straight wins.

Coastal HomeSchool fell victim to First Preparatory Christian Academy and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They took a 4-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Highlanders.

Meanwhile, John Paul II got the win against St. Andrew's on Saturday by a conclusive 12-2. The result was nothing new for the Golden Warrriors, who have now won four games by six runs or more so far this season.

John Paul II got a great performance from Casey Rizzo as he didn't allow a single hit and allowed only two earned runs while striking out six over 4.1 innings pitched. Rizzo has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season.

At the plate, John Paul II let Stewart Misko and Ben Solomons run wild. Misko scored two runs while going 2-for-4, while Solomons scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Archer Dewig, who scored two runs while going 1-for-1.

John Paul II hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least two strikeouts batters in three consecutive matchups.

John Paul II pushed their record up to 5-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.7 runs over those games. As for Coastal HomeSchool, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-10.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Coastal HomeSchool has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like John Paul II struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Coastal HomeSchool might still be hurting after the 14-2 loss they got from John Paul II when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Can the Hurricanes avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.