Grace Christian has won five straight games at home, while Gaston Christian has won five straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Crusaders will welcome the Eagles at 6:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Grace Christian 2.8, Gaston Christian 3.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Grace Christian is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They walked away with a 7-3 win over Hickory Grove Christian. The Crusaders haven't had any issues with the Lions recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Matt Murchison was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Jimmy Alfonsin was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Gaston Christian never let their opponents score on Tuesday. They blew past John Paul II Catholic 11-0. Considering the Eagles have won ten matchups by more than seven runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Xander Sutton was a standout: he got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Carter Rowe, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and four RBI.
Gaston Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .474. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive contests.
Grace Christian's win bumped their record up to 21-7. As for Gaston Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 18-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Grace Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Gaston Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Grace Christian skirted past Gaston Christian 6-4 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Will the Crusaders repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
