The St. John Paul II Catholic Lions will take on the Highland Prep West HORNETS at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in St. John Paul II Catholic's favor as the squad sits on seven straight wins at home while Highland Prep West has been banged up by seven consecutive losses on the road.
Last Tuesday, St. John Paul II Catholic earned a 9-5 victory over Glendale Prep Academy.
James Pierski was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run over six innings pitched. Pierski was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
Francisco Vasquez
| 04/15/25 @ Glendale Prep Academy | 4 |
| 04/09/25 @ Wickenburg | 3 |
| 03/24/25 vs Miami | 2 |
| 03/14/25 vs Antelope | 2 |
| 03/14/24 vs Bourgade Catholic | 2 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Francisco Vasquez, who went 2-for-3 with four stolen bases and one RBI. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
St. John Paul II Catholic kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Glendale Prep Academy only managed five hits.
Highland Prep hit Highland Prep West with a four-run sixth inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The HORNETS took a 10-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Honey Badgers.
Mateo Espinoza made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Joshua Burnside also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen bases of the season.
St. John Paul II Catholic has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Highland Prep West, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-13.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. St. John Paul II Catholic has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 6.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Highland Prep West struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
