Baseball Game Preview: St. John Paul II Catholic Lions vs. Mountainside Wolves

The St. John Paul II Catholic Lions will head out to challenge the Mountainside Wolves at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (St. John Paul II Catholic has six straight wins, Mountainside has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

St. John Paul II Catholic had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the nine-run drubbing they dealt ALA - Anthem South on Friday. The Lions blew past the Titans 11-2. The Lions might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four contests by six runs or more this season.

Carlos Pedroza made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out ten batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. What's more, he posted three RBI, the most he's had since back in March of 2024.

James Pierski

Stolen Base (Career)

03/28/25 vs ALA - Anthem South	2
03/14/25 vs Antelope	1
03/14/24 vs Bourgade Catholic	1
03/05/24 @ Mohave Accelerated	1
02/26/24 vs Highland Prep	1

Pedroza wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was James Pierski, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and four RBI. Those two stolen bases gave Pierski a new career-high.

Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for Mountainside's offense. They lost 29-0 to North Valley Christian Academy on Wednesday.

St. John Paul II Catholic's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Mountainside, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-4.