The Crossroads Christian Colts will challenge the Cape Fear Christian Academy Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Crossroads Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.9 runs per game this season.
Crossroads Christian took a six-run defeat the last time they faced off against North Hills Christian, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Colts narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Eagles 4-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Colts have posted since February 28th.
Bobby Bobbitt spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on eight hits and racked up six Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Cody Paschall, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Ben Adcock, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Cape Fear Christian Academy). They were the clear victors by a 21-1 margin over Lee Christian on Thursday. Considering the Eagles have won eight contests by more than seven runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Taylor Smith was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Smith was even better at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with five RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of Cape Fear Christian Academy's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 6-1 (and 4-6 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Cooper Davis was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, four RBI, and one triple. That triple was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Conner Parrish, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI and two runs.
Cape Fear Christian Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .793. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
The win made it two in a row for Cape Fear Christian Academy and bumps their season record up to 10-7. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 1 runs in those games. As for Crossroads Christian, their win bumped their record up to 10-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Crossroads Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cape Fear Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Crossroads Christian was able to grind out a solid victory over Cape Fear Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in April, winning 11-7. Do the Colts have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
