Baseball Preview: Whitehaven Tigers vs. First Assembly Christian Crusaders
The Whitehaven Tigers will head out on the road to face off against the First Assembly Christian Crusaders at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Whitehaven is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 9.6 runs per game this season.
Whitehaven is hoping to deliver their fans another blowout on Friday, just like they did against Memphis Central (and have done all season long). Whitehaven was the clear victor by a 15-3 margin over Memphis Central on Wednesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for Whitehaven considering their two-run performance the game before.
Jaylon Dodson spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on two hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, KeShawn Lee was incredible, going 4-for-5 with a home run, three runs, and four RBI. Darrius Coble was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, First Assembly Christian has not done well against Evangelical Christian recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. First Assembly Christian beat Evangelical Christian by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 5-1. The win was familiar territory for First Assembly Christian who now have three in a row.
Kayden Hartunian made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Hartunian has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances. Hartunian was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Evan Bloomer, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a double. Another player making a difference was Josh Wright, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Whitehaven's record now sits at 11-5. As for First Assembly Christian, they now have a winning record of 13-12.
First Assembly Christian's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Whitehaven hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .351. It's a different story for First Assembly Christian, though, as they've only averaged .246. Will they be able to contain Whitehaven's hitters?
Everything went Whitehaven's way against First Assembly Christian in their previous matchup back in March of 2022 as Whitehaven made off with an 8-2 victory. Does Whitehaven have another victory up their sleeve, or will First Assembly Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
