The St. Anne-Pacelli Vikings will face off against the Stratford Academy Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
St. Anne-Pacelli is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Westfield School 17-9 two weeks ago. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Vikings as it put an end to their five-game losing streak.
Jaycob Veloz
| 03/28/25 vs Westfield School | 4 |
| 03/26/25 @ Westfield School | 1 |
| 03/06/25 vs Heritage | 6 |
Jaycob Veloz made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had over his last three games. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 2-for-4. He has become a key player for St. Anne-Pacelli: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 5-11 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Connor Zittrauer, who went 3-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and two doubles. St. Anne-Pacelli is 2-1 when Zittrauer posts three or more hits, but 6-10 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Braden Hudson, who scored two runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
St. Anne-Pacelli always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .585. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Stratford Academy played in-conference for the first time on Tuesday and got just the result they were looking for. They skirted past John Milledge Academy 6-5. That's two games straight that the Eagles have won by just one run.
Brayden Fritz was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one home run. That home run was his first of the season. Jett Johnston was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
St. Anne-Pacelli's victory was their first in the region, bumping their region record up to 1-5 and their overall record up to 8-11. As for Stratford Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. Anne-Pacelli has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Stratford Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
St. Anne-Pacelli beat Stratford Academy 12-7 when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Do the Vikings have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
