Bradenton Christian is 8-2 against Saint Stephen's Episcopal since March of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Monday. The Bradenton Christian Panthers will face off against the Saint Stephen's Episcopal Falcons at 4:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Bradenton Christian comes in on four and Saint Stephen's Episcopal on three.
On Thursday, Bradenton Christian beat Southeast 6-3.
Waylon Moore
| 03/06/25 @ Southeast | 1 |
| 03/03/25 @ IMG Academy Navy | 1 |
| 02/27/25 vs Bayshore | 1 |
| 02/21/25 vs Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy | 2 |
Waylon Moore was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played. Connor Henderson was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Saint Stephen's Episcopal had just enough and edged out Booker 8-7 on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Falcons have posted against the Tornadoes since February 19, 2015.
Jackson McLeod was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over 5.2 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. McLeod was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in hits.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jackson Riffe, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Gabriel Conn also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Saint Stephen's Episcopal was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .457. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Booker only posted a batting average of .276.
Bradenton Christian's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-3. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 8.67 hits in those games compared to only five in the others. As for Saint Stephen's Episcopal, their record now sits at 4-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bradenton Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Saint Stephen's Episcopal struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bradenton Christian came out on top in a nail-biter against Saint Stephen's Episcopal in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, sneaking past 6-4. Will Bradenton Christian repeat their success, or does Saint Stephen's Episcopal have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
