A feisty cat fight will be fought as the Panthers take on the Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. St. John Paul II will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
St. John Paul II's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-0 win over North Florida Christian.
North Florida Christian's batters probably weren't too happy with Mason Avant, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 13 Ks (he gave up a single walk).
On the hitting side, St. John Paul II saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jaxon Pelham, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Grace Christian Academy took care of business in their home opener on Friday. They came out on top against Westover by a score of 8-5.
Oathen Atkinson and Aiden Whittaker made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Atkinson pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Whittaker struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. What's more, Atkinson posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. At bat, Atkinson scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Whittaker scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Noah Smith, who scored two runs and stole four bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in stolen bases.
St. John Paul II's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-0. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Grace Christian Academy, their win ended a three-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 1-0.
St. John Paul II took their victory against Grace Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 13-3. Does St. John Paul II have another victory up their sleeve, or will Grace Christian Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
