The St. John Paul II Academy Eagles will head out on the road to face off against the Cardinal Newman Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. St. John Paul II Academy's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so Cardinal Newman's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
St. John Paul II Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out True North Classical Academy 6-5. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Eagles.
Jack Wilhoit tossed a big game, striking out six batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off five hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Derek Dohler was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Thomas Velardi was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI.
St. John Paul II Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .595. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as True North Classical Academy only posted an OBP of .371.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Newman came tearing into Tuesday's match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 5-1 victory over the Hurricanes.
Max Gonzalez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, Finn Duran was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. James Elliot also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Cardinal Newman pushed their record up to 25-3-1 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.6 runs over those games. As for St. John Paul II Academy, their record is now 18-9-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. John Paul II Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cardinal Newman struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
