Baseball Game Preview: John Carroll Catholic Rams vs. The First Academy Royals

The John Carroll Catholic Rams will head out to challenge The First Academy Royals at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with John Carroll Catholic sitting on eight straight victories and The First Academy on ten.

John Carroll Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Montverde Academy, sneaking past 4-2.

Rodrigo Morales looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Zachary Stern, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March.

Meanwhile, The First Academy got themselves on the board against Melbourne Central Catholic on Tuesday, but Melbourne Central Catholic never followed suit. They were the clear victors by a 12-0 margin over the Hustlers. Considering the Royals have won 19 contests by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

Thomas Achey looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk).

On the hitting side, Blake Fields was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Austin Pierzynski, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

The First Academy pushed their record up to 24-4 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.9 runs on average over those games. As for John Carroll Catholic, their record is now 19-9.