Preview: St. John Paul II Panthers vs. Valwood Valiants
The St. John Paul II Panthers are on the road again on Tuesday to play the Valwood Valiants at 5:00 p.m. St. John Paul II is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 9.5 runs per game this season.
St. John Paul II can now show off six landslide victories after their most recent match on Monday. They blew past FAMU DRS 9-1.
Jason Cantella made a splash no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned run or hits while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. Cantella has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in four consecutive pitching appearances. Cantella was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Peyton Latimer was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last four games he's played.
Meanwhile, Valwood came up short against Terrell Academy on Monday and fell 7-4.
Valwood saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jack Drew, who scored a run while going 1-for-4. Another player making a difference was Dalton Smith, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
St. John Paul II pushed their record up to 8-4 with that victory, which was their third straight on the road. They've been dominating during the games in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 9.7 runs. As for Valwood, their loss dropped their record down to 6-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. St. John Paul II has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Valwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.5 per game. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
