Baseball Game Preview: Paul VI Panthers vs. St. John's Cadets

Paul VI is 2-8 against St. John since May of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Panthers will challenge the Cadets at 6:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Paul VI comes in on four and St. John's on 18.

Paul VI is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They skirted past St. Mary's Ryken 4-2.

Aiden Gallagher

Base on Balls Against

05/06/25 @ St. Mary's Ryken	0
05/02/25 vs DeMatha	2
04/26/25 @ Gonzaga	1

Aiden Gallagher made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one double. That's the most hits he has posted over his last 11 matches.

In other pitching news, Landon McGinn tossed a big game, tossing 5.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.

Back at the plate, Paul VI let Thomas Jewett and Ryan Vaxmonsky run wild. Jewett got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one double, while Vaxmonsky went 2-for-4 with three RBI. That's the most RBI Vaxmonsky has posted since back in April.

Paul VI hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in four consecutive games.

Meanwhile, St. John's faced Gonzaga in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Cadets were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over the Eagles. The Cadets might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 21 contests by six runs or more this season.

Paul VI's victory was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 25-6. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for St. John's, their record now sits at 28-1.

Paul VI couldn't quite finish off St. John's in their previous matchup last Tuesday and fell 4-2. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.