Baseball Game Preview: Academy for Academic Excellence Knights vs. Academy of Careers & Exploration Eagle

The Academy for Academic Excellence Knights will venture away from home to square off against the Academy of Careers & Exploration Eagle at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

If Academy for Academic Excellence beats Academy of Careers & Exploration with 13 runs on Tuesday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. The Knights were the clear victors by a 13-0 margin over Lucerne Valley on Friday. That 13 run margin sets a new team best for the Knights this season.

Aiden Carmona and Gavin Ripley did most of the damage at the plate: Carmona scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3, while Ripley scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs Carmona has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Bryson Lilly, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-1.

They weren't the only one making solid contact: Academy for Academic Excellence kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 3.9 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 8.8.

Meanwhile, Academy of Careers & Exploration came tearing into last Friday's matchup with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 9-4 win over the Royals.

Academy for Academic Excellence has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-9 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Academy of Careers & Exploration, the win got them back to even at 6-6.

Everything went Academy for Academic Excellence's way against Academy of Careers & Exploration when the teams last played back in February, as Academy for Academic Excellence made off with an 11-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.