Pope John Paul II will square off against the Springfield Township Spartans at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Pope John Paul II sitting on three straight wins and Springfield Township on seven.
Pope John Paul II is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Holy Ghost Prep 4-2.
Pope John Paul II saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Carson Glose, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Meanwhile, Springfield Township got the win against Interboro on Tuesday by a conclusive 11-3.
Nolan Kidwell looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Mike Capoferri, who went 2-for-3 with five RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Matthew Sokel, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
Springfield Township always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Interboro only posted an OBP of .276.
Springfield Township pushed their record up to 18-3 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.3 runs over those games. As for Pope John Paul II, their record now sits at 16-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Pope John Paul II has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Springfield Township struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Pope John Paul II couldn't quite finish off Springfield Township in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 and fell 12-10. Can Pope John Paul II avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
