Baseball Game Preview: Pope John XXIII vs. Hudson Catholic Hawks

Pope John XXIII will take on the Hudson Catholic Hawks at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Pope John XXIII fell victim to St. Joseph Regional and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They took a 5-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Green Knights. The game marked the first time this year in which Pope John XXIII was not able to get on the board.

Pope John XXIII saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Andrew Pami, who went 1-for-3 with one double.

Meanwhile, Hudson Catholic came up short against North Bergen on Thursday, falling 13-6. The Hawks have struggled against the Bruins recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost meeting.

Jace Caddle made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with four stolen bases and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Jose Suero, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run.

Pope John XXIII's defeat dropped their record down to 6-6. As for Hudson Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 2-17.

Hudson Catholic's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Pope John XXIII hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .321. It's a different story for Hudson Catholic, though, as they've only averaged .250. Will they be able to contain Pope John XXIII's hitters?

Pope John XXIII might still be hurting after the 9-1 defeat they got from Hudson Catholic in their previous meeting back in May of 2022. Can Pope John XXIII avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.