The First Academy Eagles will face off against the Crescent City Raiders at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The timing is sure in First Academy's favor as the team sits on three straight wins at home while Crescent City has been banged up by eight consecutive losses on the road.
First Academy will bounce into Monday's matchup after beating Hernando Christian Academy, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Eagles blew past the Lions 16-1 on Thursday. Considering the Eagles have won eight games by more than eight runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Alivia Collins made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Collins was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Hayleigh Collop was a standout: she went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and one triple. That home run was her first of the season. Ashlyn Neiford was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Crescent City's offense. They lost 21-0 to Umatilla on Thursday.
First Academy is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.2 runs over those games. As for Crescent City, their loss dropped their record down to 8-13.
Crescent City's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: First Academy has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.1 hits per game. It's a different story for Crescent City, though, as they've been averaging 9 hits. Given First Academy's sizable advantage in that area, the Raiders will need to find a way to close that gap.
First Academy couldn't quite finish off Crescent City in their previous matchup back in February and fell 9-7. Will the Eagles have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
