Baseball Game Preview: Pace Academy Knights vs. Westminster Wildcats

The Pace Academy Knights will take on the Westminster Wildcats at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Pace Academy will be strutting in after a victory while Westminster will be coming in after a defeat.

Having struggled with six losses in a row dating back to last season, Pace Academy turned things around against Whitefield Academy on Wednesday. They put the hurt on the WolfPack with a sharp 20-11 win. The Knights' offense finally found a way to get into gear: the high-octane performance was a 180-degree turn from their last five games.

Quinn Culpepper was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Culpepper was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in four of his six plate appearances. That run marked the first that he scored this season.

In other batting news, Miles Mador was a standout: he got on base in all six of his plate appearances with one home run, five runs, and two RBI. What's more, he posted three hits, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. Caden Austin was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing five bases while getting on base in four of his six plate appearances.

Pace Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Westminster was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their seventh straight defeat dating back to last season. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 6-4 heartbreaker at the hands of Lovett. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Wildcats have suffered since April 3, 2024.

Pace Academy's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-5. As for Westminster, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-4.