John Paul II is preparing for their first region matchup of the season on Thursday. They will be playing at home against the Coastal HomeSchool Hurricanes at 4:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (John Paul II has four straight victories, Coastal HomeSchool has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Saturday, John Paul II got the win against St. Andrew's by a conclusive 12-2. The result was nothing new for the Golden Warrriors, who have now won four contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Casey Rizzo
| 03/29/25 vs St. Andrew's | 0 |
| 03/17/25 vs Battery Creek | 1 |
| 03/07/25 vs St. Andrew's | 1 |
Casey Rizzo tossed a big game, not allowing a single hit and allowed only two earned runs while striking out six over 4.1 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Stewart Misko and Ben Solomons did most of the damage at the plate: Misko scored two runs while going 2-for-4, while Solomons scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Archer Dewig, who scored two runs while going 1-for-1.
John Paul II hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least two strikeouts batters in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Coastal HomeSchool fell victim to First Preparatory Christian Academy and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They took a 4-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Highlanders.
John Paul II's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Coastal HomeSchool, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-10.
Coastal HomeSchool's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: John Paul II hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .338. It's a different story for Coastal HomeSchool, though, as they've only averaged .243. Will they be able to contain John Paul II's hitters?
John Paul II took their win against Coastal HomeSchool in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 14-2 score. Will the Golden Warrriors repeat their success, or do the Hurricanes have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
