Kingman Academy is a perfect 8-0 against St. John Paul II Catholic since March of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. A feisty cat fight will be fought as Kingman Academy Tigers face off against St. John Paul II Catholic Lions at 3:45 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Kingman Academy fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Wickenburg on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Wranglers by a score of 13-11. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Tigers have suffered since February 27th.
Dustin Sealy put in work while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over 5.1 innings while giving up five earned runs off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024.
Cormac Cone
| 03/24/25 vs Wickenburg | 2 |
| 03/22/25 @ Kingman | 1 |
| 03/12/25 vs Williams | 1 |
| 03/04/25 @ Highland Prep West | 1 |
| 02/26/25 vs Mohave Accelerated | 1 |
In other batting news, Rilee Otto and Cormac Cone stepped up to the plate in a big way. Otto scored two runs while getting on base in four of his six plate appearances, while Cone scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. Those two hits gave Cone a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Aiden Wildebaur, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Even though they lost, Kingman Academy lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, St. John Paul II Catholic entered their tilt with Miami on Monday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Vandals a 10-0 shutout. Considering the Lions have won three games by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Carlos Pedroza made a big impact no matter where he played. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Pedroza was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Francisco Vasquez was a standout: he scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2. He also put up an RBI, which was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Adrian Zaragoza, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
St. John Paul II Catholic's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-2. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Kingman Academy, their loss ended a nine-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 5-6-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Kingman Academy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like St. John Paul II Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Kingman Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over St. John Paul II Catholic when the teams last played back in April of 2024, winning 13-10. Will Kingman Academy repeat their success, or does St. John Paul II Catholic has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
