Grace Academy will square off against Ambassador Christian School at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Grace Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.
On Tuesday, Grace Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over Westminster Catawba Christian, taking the game 7-4. The Lions haven't had any issues with the Indians recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Brayden Blinn looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (two).
On the hitting side, Grace Academy let Andrew Nowlin and Fletcher Owens run wild. Nowlin got on base in two of his three plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs, while Owens got on base in two of his three plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run. That's the most stolen bases Nowlin has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Grant Lowder, who went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Ambassador Christian School's good fortune finally ran out last Tuesday. They came up short against Carmel Christian, falling 12-3.
Jacson Taplin was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two RBI, one run, and one double. Marek Romano was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Ambassador Christian School's defeat dropped their record down to 10-12. As for Grace Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 13-9.
Ambassador Christian School's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Grace Academy hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .333. It's a different story for Ambassador Christian School, though, as they've only averaged .239. Will they be able to contain Grace Academy's hitters?
Grace Academy took their win against Ambassador Christian School when the teams last played back in March by a conclusive 11-2 score. Will Grace Academy repeat their success, or does Ambassador Christian School has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
