St. John Paul II Catholic hadn't done well against Kingman Academy recently (they were 0-8 in their previous eight matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. St. John Paul II Catholic came out on top in a nail-biter against Kingman Academy, sneaking past 9-8. This was payback for the Lions, who suffered a 13-10 defeat the last time these two teams met.
James Pierski made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. What's more, he gave up only one walk, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024.
Pierski wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Alfredo Barragan, who scored two runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Another was Adrian Zaragoza, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two RBI.
Lions
| 03/26/25 vs Kingman Academy | 9-8 |
| 03/24/25 vs Miami | 10-0 |
| 03/21/25 @ Mohave Accelerated | 11-5 |
| 03/18/25 @ San Tan Charter | 8-6 |
| 03/14/25 vs Antelope | 11-1 |
The victory was the fifth in a row for St. John Paul II Catholic, bringing their record up to 7-2. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing nine hits in those games compared to only 4.25 in the others. As for Kingman Academy, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-7-1 record this season.
St. John Paul II Catholic will look to defend their home field on Friday against ALA - Anthem South at 3:45 p.m. The timing is sure in St. John Paul II Catholic's favor as the squad sits on five straight wins at home while ALA - Anthem South has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road. As for Kingman Academy, a feisty cat fight will be fought as Kingman Academy Tigers face off against Joseph City Wildcats at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Joseph City has struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 14.86 runs per game on average), something Kingman Academy will no doubt try to take advantage of.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
