Baseball Game Preview: St. Paul Swordsmen vs. Paraclete Spirits

The St. Paul Swordsmen will take on the Paraclete Spirits at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. St. Paul's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Paraclete's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

St. Paul's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Wednesday's struggle, when Cajon hitters got past them. The Swordsmen lost 17-7 to the Cowboys on Wednesday. The Swordsmen have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Elias Mota made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with one home run. Logan Noh was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Paraclete waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They never let the Swordsmen get on the board and left with a 9-0 victory. That looming 9-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Spirits yet this season.

The result came thanks to Jacob Draper's shutout, as he gave up just five hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Paraclete is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 5-9 otherwise.

On the hitting side, Julian Trejo was a standout: he scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3. He has become a key player for Paraclete: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 4-10 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Abraham Perez, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.

St. Paul's defeat dropped their record down to 11-7. As for Paraclete, their win bumped their record up to 7-10.

St. Paul might still be hurting after the 9-0 loss they got from Paraclete when the teams last played on Tuesday. Will the Swordsmen have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.