Baseball Preview: Inspiration Academy Lions vs. IMG Academy Gray Ascenders
The Inspiration Academy Lions will head out on the road to challenge the IMG Academy Gray Ascenders at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Inspiration Academy is no doubt hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses.
Inspiration Academy's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They came out on top against MVP Baseball Academy by a score of 4-0.
Jason Sawyer spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just zero earned runs on two hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Ty Harvey, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and a stolen base.
Meanwhile, IMG Academy Gray unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of Braden River by a score of 2-1.
Thomas Stabley was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run over 4.2 innings pitched.
At the plate, IMG Academy Gray saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Charlie Messina, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Inspiration Academy's win bumped their record up to 16-13. As for IMG Academy Gray, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Inspiration Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like IMG Academy Gray struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Inspiration Academy came out on top in a nail-biter against IMG Academy Gray in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, sneaking past 8-7. Will Inspiration Academy repeat their success, or does IMG Academy Gray have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
