The Cardinal Newman Crusaders will square off against the King's Academy Lions on Thursday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Cardinal Newman is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past St. John Paul II Academy 3-2. Three seems to be a good number for the Crusaders as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Blake Anderson
| 04/15/25 vs St. John Paul II Academy | 1 |
| 04/07/25 vs Spanish River | 1 |
| 04/01/25 @ St. John Paul II Academy | 1 |
| 03/26/25 vs Williamsburg | 2 |
| 03/20/25 vs American Heritage | 1 |
| + 3 more games |
Blake Anderson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on four hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Gabriel Acevedo, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Mike Newby, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Meanwhile, King's Academy sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-5 victory over Saint Andrew's on Tuesday. The win continues a trend for the Lions in their matchups with the Scots: they've now won three in a row.
The victory made it two in a row for Cardinal Newman and bumps their season record up to 22-3-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 2 run in those games. As for King's Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 16-5.
Cardinal Newman beat King's Academy 6-1 when the teams last played back in February. Will the Crusaders repeat their success, or do the Lions have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
