Baseball Game Preview: St. John Paul II Academy Eagles vs. St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders

Eagles

Runs

03/06/25 @ Benjamin	13
03/05/25 vs Cardinal Gibbons	0
03/04/25 vs Royal Palm Beach	8
02/28/25 vs Boca Raton	5
02/26/25 @ Wellington	14
+ 5 more games

The St. John Paul II Academy Eagles will be taking part in a tournament against the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. St. John Paul II Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.8 runs per game this season.

St. John Paul II Academy was handed a heart-breaking two-run loss in their last matchup, but they sure didn't let that happen against Benjamin on Thursday. St. John Paul II Academy was the clear victors by a 13-5 margin over Benjamin. The high-scoring effort was just what the Eagles needed considering they were shut out in their previous game.

Jack Wilhoit looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in May of 2024.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Thomas Velardi, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run and three runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024. Lincoln Dorland was another key player, scoring three runs while going 3-for-5.

St. John Paul II Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Benjamin only posted a batting average of .231.

Meanwhile, St. Thomas Aquinas gave up the first runs on Saturday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 5-2 victory over Jesuit.

Thomas Giltner looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Brady Buxbaum was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. Andrew Alvarez also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

St. John Paul II Academy's win was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-1-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for St. Thomas Aquinas, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-3-1 record this season.