St. John Paul II hasn't had much luck against Valwood recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Valiants at 5:30 p.m. St. John Paul II's pitching crew has only allowed 2.6 runs per game this season, so Valwood's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
St. John Paul II is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 21 runs on Wednesday, they were much more limited against Aucilla Christian on Friday. They fell 5-1 to the Warriors.
Meanwhile, Valwood made easy work of Taylor County on Tuesday and carried off an 11-1 victory. Considering the Valiants have won six contests by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Camden Crump spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on seven hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Valwood let Maddox Coile and Chase Helfer run wild. Coile scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while Helfer went 3-for-4 with five RBI, two doubles, and one run. Coile is becoming a predictor of Valwood's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-1 (and 4-5 when he doesn't). Dywan Powell was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
The win made it two in a row for Valwood and bumps their season record up to 9-6. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.5 runs over those games. As for St. John Paul II, their loss dropped their record down to 14-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. John Paul II has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Valwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
St. John Paul II might still be hurting after the 9-2 defeat they got from Valwood when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
