Baseball Recap: University Prep Finds Home Field Redemption Against Academy of Careers & Exploration

There's no place like home for University Prep, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Tuesday. They never let the Academy of Careers & Exploration Eagle get on the board and left with a 12-0 win on Thursday. The Jaguars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by 12 runs or more this season.

Ricky Gonzalez was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Furthermore, he didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in March of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing Two bases. while going 2-for-2. He has become a key player for University Prep: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 1-2 otherwise.

Angel Herrera

Runs

02/18/25 @ Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy	3
03/06/25 vs Academy of Careers & Exploration	2
02/27/25 @ Academy for Academic Excellence	2
02/20/25 vs Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy	2
03/04/25 @ Canyon Springs	1
+ 1 more games

In other batting news, University Prep let Angel Herrera and Adriel Salazar run wild. Herrera scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Salazar scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-1. Herrera is becoming a predictor of University Prep's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Baxter Andersen, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.

University Prep's victory bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Academy of Careers & Exploration, they dropped their record down to 1-5 with the loss, which was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. A feisty cat fight will be fought as University Prep Jaguars take on Granite Hills Cougars at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Academy of Careers & Exploration, they will face off against Gabrielino at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.