SAN JOSE, CA- In a game defined by stellar pitching and clutch plays, the Cardinal Newman Cardinals edged out Valley Christian 1-0 on Saturday. The loss was the first of the year for the Warriors who came in undefeated at 6-0 and ranked #3 in the state. Valley Christian won last year's meeting 8-2 in the first game of the 2024 season.

UC Santa Barbara commit, Josh Jannicelli was nothing short of sensational on the mound for Cardinal Newman, throwing a complete-game shutout. The right-hander struck out 10 batters, allowing just two hits and two walks over seven innings. With pinpoint control and a devastating mix of pitches, Jannicelli kept Valley Christian's hitters off-balance all afternoon, needing just 94 pitches to go the distance.

"Josh was incredible," said Cardinals head coach Derek DeBenedetti "He commanded the game from the first pitch to the last, and his performance really set the tone for us."

The game's lone run came in the third inning, courtesy of a clutch sacrifice fly by Jamie Vozaitis. With Jack Pezzolo standing on third after one of his two hits, Vozaitis lofted a fly ball to right, deep enough to score Pezzolo and give the Cardinals the lead.

Valley Christian's Kole Laubach also a UCSB commit, delivered an impressive outing, striking out six over four innings while surrendering just one run on three hits. But his effort wasn't enough to overcome Jannicelli's stellar outing and the Cardinals' airtight defense.

Valley Christian had its chances, including a key moment in the sixth inning when Jordan Ortiz reached on a single. However, Jannicelli worked out of trouble with a timely strikeout and a groundout, ensuring the shutout stayed intact.

Cardinal Newman improves to 3-2 and looks to carry their momentum into Thursday's matchup against College Park at Clyde Smith Field.  The defending NorCal champs have now won two in a row and hope to keep the momentum going next week.