After a string of three wins, Pope John Paul II's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They lost 21-7 to the Crosspoint Warriors. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Pope John Paul II of the 9-1 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April of 2023.
For Crosspoint's part, Levi Bates and Flint Howard made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Bates struck out nine batters over 5.2 innings while giving up four earned (and three unearned) runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Howard pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Bates has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. At the plate, Bates scored three runs and stole five bases while going 4-for-6, while Howard went 3-for-5 with four stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI.
In other batting news, Crosspoint got a massive performance out of John 'JT' Keen, who went 3-for-5 with five RBI, two runs, and a stolen base. Another player making a difference was Shay Bickel, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances.
Pope John Paul II's loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 7-5. As for Crosspoint, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-1.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Pope John Paul II will face off against Oakville at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Pope John Paul II is facing Oakville at the right time seeing as Oakville is stuck on a three-game losing streak. As for Crosspoint, they will head out on the road to take on Non Varsity Opponent at 2:15 p.m. on Thursday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
