Preview: Statesville Christian Lions vs. Hickory Christian Academy Knights
The Statesville Christian Lions will be playing at home against the Hickory Christian Academy Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are still undefeated (Statesville Christian has three wins, while Hickory Christian Academy.
Last Monday, everything went Statesville Christian's way against North Hills Christian as Statesville Christian made off with a 7-1 win. Seven seems to be a good number for Statesville Christian as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Stephen Nielsen made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 14 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and not a single walk). Nielsen was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Carter Rorabaugh, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Hickory Christian Academy scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They blew past Salem Baptist Christian 12-6.
Like Statesville Christian, Hickory Christian Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Samuel Yount. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (he also only allowed one walk). Yount was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-5.
Yount wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jude Carter, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Statesville Christian's win bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Hickory Christian Academy, their victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Statesville Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Hickory Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Statesville Christian might still be hurting after the 9-1 loss they got from Hickory Christian Academy when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Thankfully for Statesville Christian, Jacob Charlton (who struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk)) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
