Baseball Game Preview: Grace Academy Lions vs. Lake Norman Christian Lions

Grace Academy will challenge Lake Norman Christian at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Grace Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.

Grace Academy was handed a heart-breaking two-run loss in their last game, but they sure didn't let that happen against York Prep on Tuesday. The Lions were the clear victors by a 15-3 margin over the Patriots. The game was the first time the Lions have beaten the Patriots on their field since March 24, 2015.

Ryan Hartnett

Batters Struck Out (Career)

04/22/25 @ York Prep	4
03/24/25 @ Lee Park Prep	2
03/14/25 vs North Hills Christian	2
04/03/25 @ Pro Stock Royals Academy	1
02/27/25 vs Charlotte S	1

Ryan Hartnett made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.

In other batting news, Nick Coccus was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Fletcher Owens was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.

Grace Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .435. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Meanwhile, Lake Norman Christian unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Thursday. They came up short against Anson, falling 9-2.

Grace Academy pushed their record up to 11-7 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for Lake Norman Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-5.

Grace Academy couldn't quite finish off Lake Norman Christian in their previous meeting two weeks ago and fell 5-3. Can Grace Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.