The Cardinal Newman Crusaders will square off against the St. John Paul II Academy Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Cardinal Newman 2.3, St. John Paul II Academy 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Cardinal Newman is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They came out on top against Coral Shores by a score of 5-1. Winning may never get old, but the Crusaders sure are getting used to it with their fifth in a row.
Max Gonzalez
| 04/22/25 vs Coral Shores | 8 |
| 04/17/25 vs King's Academy | 12 |
| 04/10/25 @ Okeechobee | 13 |
| 04/04/25 vs Seminole Ridge | 8 |
Max Gonzalez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Finn Duran was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. James Elliot was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, St. John Paul II Academy sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-5 win over True North Classical Academy on Thursday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Eagles.
St. John Paul II Academy also got a great performance from Jack Wilhoit as he struck out six batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off five hits.
At the plate, Derek Dohler was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Thomas Velardi, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI.
St. John Paul II Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .595. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as True North Classical Academy only posted an OBP of .371.
Cardinal Newman's victory was their 11th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 25-3-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.1 runs on average over those games. As for St. John Paul II Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 18-9-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cardinal Newman has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like St. John Paul II Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cardinal Newman came out on top in a nail-biter against St. John Paul II Academy in their previous matchup last Tuesday, sneaking past 3-2. Will the Crusaders repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
