The Glendale Prep Academy Griffins will square off against the St. John Paul II Catholic Lions at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Glendale Prep Academy's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last five matchups.
Glendale Prep Academy made up a huge gap compared to their last game against North Valley Christian Academy, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Griffins' pitcher stepped up to hand the Lions a 10-0 shutout on Friday. The Griffins might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by ten runs or more this season.
The result came thanks to Logan Middendorf's shutout, as he gave up just a hit and racked up nine Ks. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Casey Kim was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Corbin Kim, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Glendale Prep Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North Valley Christian Academy only posted a batting average of .062.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for St. John Paul II Catholic, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They won by a run and slipped past Scottsdale Preparatory Academy 6-5.
Carlos Pedroza and Wyatt Bacome made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Pedroza struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Meanwhile, Bacome tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. St. John Paul II Catholic is 8-1 when Pedroza allows three or fewer earned runs, but 2-3 otherwise. At the plate, Pedroza scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3, while Bacome scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Adrian Zaragoza, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
St. John Paul II Catholic pushed their record up to 10-4 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games. As for Glendale Prep Academy, their win bumped their record up to 12-1.
Both Glendale Prep Academy and St. John Paul II Catholic just can't seem to miss. The Griffins have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.9 hits per game. However, it's not like St. John Paul II Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.6 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Glendale Prep Academy might still be hurting after the 16-5 loss they got from St. John Paul II Catholic in their previous meeting back in April of 2021. Will the Griffins have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
