The Juan Diego Catholic Soaring Eagle will face off against the Highland Rams at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Juan Diego Catholic took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Cottonwood a 7-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Soaring Eagle, who have now won six games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Not much got past Nash Crowther, who gave up just two hits and racked up ten Ks to keep Cottonwood off the board. Crowther has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.
Kael Buck
| 03/31/26 vs East | 5 |
| 03/21/26 vs Tooele | 4 |
| 04/02/26 vs Judge Memorial Catholic | 3 |
| 03/11/26 vs Ogden | 3 |
| 04/08/26 vs Cottonwood | 2 |
| + 6 more games |
At the plate, Kael Buck was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. Juan Diego Catholic is 7-1 when Buck posts two or more stolen bases, but 4-5 otherwise. Lange Livonius was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Juan Diego Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cottonwood only posted an OBP of .240.
Meanwhile, Highland won against East on Monday with 14 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Wednesday. The Rams blew past the Leopards 14-6. The victory was familiar territory for the Rams, who have now won three matchups in a row.
Alex Just and Porter Rockwood made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Just struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Rockwood tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the most strikeouts Just has posted since back in March. At bat, Just went 3-for-4 with five RBI and one run, while Rockwood got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, Isaac Rodriguez was a standout: he went 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in May of 2025. Another player making a difference was Zach Morgan, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Juan Diego Catholic's win bumped their record up to 11-6. As for Highland, their victory bumped their record up to 7-10.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Juan Diego Catholic has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .459. However, it's not like Highland struggles in that department as they've averaged .459. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
