Baseball Game Preview: Father Ryan Irish vs. Pope John Paul II Knights

For the second straight game, Father Ryan will face off against Pope John Paul II. The Irish will venture away from home to face off against the Knights at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Father Ryan's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They put the hurt on Pope John Paul II with a sharp 14-0 victory. The Irish have beaten the Knights the last six times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Knights has come to flipping the script.

Aiden Shorey tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Father Ryan is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 11-12 otherwise.

Michael Mascari

Runs

03/28/26 vs Ensworth	3
03/26/26 vs Grace Christian Academy	3
04/20/26 vs Pope John Paul II	2
04/09/26 @ Lipscomb Academy	2
03/18/26 vs Cascade	2
+ 7 more games

On the hitting side, Father Ryan got a massive performance out of Michael Mascari, who went 1-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Mascari has become a key player for the Irish: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 8-13 otherwise. Will Lawson was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and two doubles.

Father Ryan always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

The win got Father Ryan back to even at 13-13. As for Pope John Paul II, they are on a six-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-18.