Baseball Game Preview: Junipero Serra Padres vs. Archbishop Riordan Crusaders

For the second straight game, Junipero Serra will face off against Archbishop Riordan. The Padres will be playing at home against the Crusaders at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Junipero Serra is coming into the match hot, having won their last four games.

Junipero Serra's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Archbishop Riordan as they made off with a 13-0 win. The contest marked the Padres' most dominant victory of the season.

Davis Minton was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over seven innings pitched. Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.

Aaron Minton

Hits (Career)

05/06/25 @ Archbishop Riordan	4
05/03/25 @ Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory	3
04/29/25 vs Archbishop Mitty	1
04/26/25 vs Del Oro	1
04/11/25 @ Archbishop Mitty	1

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aaron Minton, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Ian Josephson was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and two RBI.

Junipero Serra always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .523. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Archbishop Riordan only posted an OBP of .045.

Junipero Serra's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 21-5. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Archbishop Riordan, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-16-1 record this season.

Archbishop Riordan's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Junipero Serra hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .312. It's a different story for Archbishop Riordan, though, as they've only averaged .225. Will they be able to contain Junipero Serra's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.