| AWAY | Â | HOME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JOHN PAUL II CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL | VS | ROCKY MOUNT ACADEMY | |
| 12 | Â | 3 | |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Paul II Catholic High School | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 11 | 0 |
| Rocky Mount Academy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 2 |
The John Paul II Catholic High School baseball team got an impressive all-around effort as it beat host Rocky Mount Academy 12-3 on a beautiful but cold and very windy Tuesday afternoon.
Freshmen J.T. Williams and Noah Sugg kept the RMA bats mostly under control with the help of a JPII defense that played error-free ball, and the Saints also totaled 11 hits and took advantage of 10 free passes from Eagles pitchers to get the key victory. Williams started and earned the win, going 3 2/3 innings and striking out four. Sugg was quite efficient in relief as he gave up a trio of hits and struck out three more while throwing 36 of his 61 pitches for strikes.
JPII took an early lead — an advantage it never surrendered — with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Ray Shaw got things started with a one-out single and took second on Ryker Butcher’s walk. With two outs, both moved up a base on steals before Tyler Winkler was walked. Axel Keller was walked to force in Shaw, and then James Donofrio singled in Butcher.
With the score 2-1, JPII really asserted its control with five runs in the top of the third. Winkler walked with one out and went to second on a single by Keller. Donofrio’s single then loaded the bases. Winkler was caught stealing home, but Caleb Thrift then drove in a pair of runs with a single. Thrift took second on a wild pitch and then third on a single by Aaron Gregory. Nike Wiggins drove both in with a double to center, and eventually scored on a wild pitch after taking third when Shaw reached on an error.
The Saints scored once in the fifth when Thrift eventually came around after a leadoff walk, then they added their final four runs in the sixth. Winkler led off with a walk and went to second on a fielder’s choice. After Donofrio walked, Winkler scored on a double by Thrift. Donofrio scored on a passed ball, and Joseph Caporossi — in as a pinch-runner for Thrift — scored on an error as Ethan Staton reached. Staton went to third on a single by Wiggins and scored after tagging up on a lineout by Shaw.
Wiggins, Keller, Donofrio, Thrift, and Gregory had two hits each, and Shaw had one. Thrift led the team with three RBI to go along with his double.
JPII improved to 5-2. It will play host to Bear Grass Charter on Thursday. The Bears are 3-2 overall entering a game on Wednesday at Camden County.
