Countryside Christian and Ocala Christian are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2015, but likely not for long. The Countryside Christian Minutemen will head out on the road to challenge the Ocala Christian Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Countryside Christian has seven straight victories, Ocala Christian has ten straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Countryside Christian barely beat Eastside the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Countryside Christian was the clear victors by an 18-10 margin over Eastside on Tuesday. Considering the Minutemen have won five matches by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Jace Reustle
| 03/11/25 @ Eastside | 7 |
| 03/03/25 vs Peniel Baptist Academy | 3 |
| 02/20/25 @ Oak Hall | 2 |
| 04/22/24 vs Riverside Christian | 2 |
| 04/16/24 vs First Christian | 6 |
| + 2 more games |
Jace Reustle and Hunter Burgess were a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Reustle struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and not a single walk). Meanwhile, Burgess struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up just one earned (and eight unearned) runs off three hits. That's the most strikeouts Reustle has posted since back in March of 2024. At the plate, Reustle went 1-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one run, while Burgess scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-5. That triple marked the first that Reustle hit this season.
In other batting news, Lucas Gruenwald was a standout: he scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 3-for-4. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season. Brayden Dalton was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Countryside Christian kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Ocala Christian fell victim to P.K. Yonge and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They came up short against the Blue Wave, falling 22-0.
Countryside Christian pushed their record up to 8-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.3 runs over those games. As for Ocala Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-9.
Countryside Christian was able to grind out a solid victory over Ocala Christian in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, winning 9-5. Will Countryside Christian repeat their success, or does Ocala Christian have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
