The Hickory Grove Christian Lions are taking a road trip to take on the Charlotte Country Day School Buccaneers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Hickory Grove Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Hickory Grove Christian took a loss when they played away from home last Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Legion Collegiate Academy a 4-0 shutout. The victory was some much needed relief for the Lions as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.
Jack Dwyer
| 04/29/25 vs Legion Collegiate Academy | 2 |
| 04/10/25 vs Gaston Day | 1 |
| 04/08/25 vs Concord Academy | 1 |
| 03/13/25 @ Covenant Day | 1 |
| 04/02/24 vs Bamberg-Ehrhardt | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Jack Dwyer, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles and one RBI. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. Nathan Dowdy was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Charlotte Country Day School came out on top against Cannon on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run first inning. The Buccaneers skirted past the Cougars 6-5. Surprisingly, this marked the Buccaneers' fifth straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.
Darius Morales was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Lw O'Neil, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Charlotte Country Day School always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive games.
Hickory Grove Christian's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-12. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Charlotte Country Day School, their win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-19.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Hickory Grove Christian has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Charlotte Country Day School struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Hickory Grove Christian's way against Charlotte Country Day School when the teams last played back in March of 2024, as Hickory Grove Christian made off with a 10-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lions since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
