The St. John Lutheran Saints will challenge the Lake Mary Prep Griffins at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Last Tuesday, St. John Lutheran got the win against Ocala Christian by a conclusive 19-4. Considering the Saints have won six games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Cooper Gloege
| 03/04/25 vs Ocala Christian | 8 |
| 04/26/24 vs First Baptist Christian Academy | 2 |
| 02/21/25 @ Ocala Christian | 1 |
| 02/13/25 @ Taylor | 1 |
Cooper Gloege made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Those hits were his first of the season.
In other batting news, Luis Roman was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, two runs, and one triple. He is becoming a predictor of St. John Lutheran's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-4 when he doesn't). Will Spellman was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing Three bases. while going 3-for-4.
St. John Lutheran always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .576. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, the third road contest was the charm for Lake Mary Prep, as they earned their first road win of the season. They put the hurt on Crooms Academy with a sharp 7-1 victory on Thursday. The win continues a trend for the Griffins in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won six in a row.
The team relied heavily on Malachi Beedle, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Landon Trauger, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
St. John Lutheran has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 14.7 runs. Lake Mary Prep's victory bumped their record up to 3-5.
Lake Mary Prep's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: St. John Lutheran has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .448. It's a different story for Lake Mary Prep, though, as they've only averaged .344. Will they be able to contain St. John Lutheran's hitters?
St. John Lutheran might still be hurting after the 9-1 defeat they got from Lake Mary Prep in their previous meeting back in April of 2018. Can St. John Lutheran avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
