St. John Paul II is 0-10 against Maclay since April of 2019 but things could change on Wednesday. The St. John Paul II Panthers will face off against the Maclay Marauders at 4:00 p.m. St. John Paul II's pitching crew has only allowed 1.6 runs per game this season, so Maclay's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
St. John Paul II's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. Everything went their way against Madison County as St. John Paul II made off with an 8-0 win. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by eight runs or more this season.
Not much got past Max Helbling, who gave up just a hit to keep Madison County off the board. That's the fewest hits Helbling has allowed since back in April of 2024.
On the hitting side, St. John Paul II got a big performance out of Evan Bopp, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4. What's more, Bopp posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. Javi Santana also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
St. John Paul II was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .444. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Madison County only posted a batting average of .045.
Meanwhile, Maclay had just enough and edged out Blountstown 6-4 on Monday.
Ben Wagnon was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over 5.2 innings pitched. Wagnon was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Henry Richardson, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-4. Another player making a difference was Hunter Smith, who scored two runs while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
The victory made it two in a row for St. John Paul II and bumps their season record up to 6-1. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 10.5 hits in those games compared to only 5.6 in the others. As for Maclay, their record now sits at 6-2.
St. John Paul II's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's contest. St. John Paul II has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Maclay, though, as they've been averaging only 0.6 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will St. John Paul II continue to outrun the ball?
St. John Paul II came up short against Maclay when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 4-0. Can St. John Paul II avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
