Cardinal Newman had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They never let the St. John Paul II Academy Eagles get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory on Monday. The Crusaders haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Blake Anderson made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over six innings pitched. Anderson was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Finn Duran was incredible, going 1-for-3 with four stolen bases and three runs. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Dominic Demarzo, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Crusaders
| 04/28/25 vs St. John Paul II Academy | 10-0 |
| 04/22/25 vs Coral Shores | 5-1 |
| 04/21/25 vs Coral Shores | 20-0 |
| 04/17/25 vs King's Academy | 5-1 |
| 04/07/25 vs Spanish River | 4-1 |
| + 7 more games |
Cardinal Newman's victory was their 12th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 26-3-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.9 runs over those games. As for St. John Paul II Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 18-10-1.
Cardinal Newman will have a chance to go back-to-back against the Eagles: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
