Preview: Hernando Christian Academy Lions vs. Seffner Christian Crusaders
Hernando Christian Academy is 0-6 against Seffner Christian since February of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Hernando Christian Academy Lions will head out on the road to challenge the Seffner Christian Crusaders at 4:00 p.m. Hernando Christian Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.4 runs per game this season.
In what's become a running theme this season, Hernando Christian Academy gave their fans yet another huge win on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Seven Rivers Christian with a sharp 13-3 victory.
Blake Bandy made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Bandy was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Carson Hedick looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits (he also didn't allow any walks).
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Mason Hogue, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four RBI, two runs, and a stolen base. Another player making a difference was Cole Walston, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Seffner Christian was able to grind out a solid win over Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate on Tuesday, taking the game 9-5. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Seffner Christian.
Austin Trimble looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (he also only allowed one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jenuel Ortiz, who scored two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Colin Patten was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Hernando Christian Academy's victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-5. As for Seffner Christian, they pushed their record up to 8-2 with that win, which was their third straight at home.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Hernando Christian Academy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .440. However, it's not like Seffner Christian struggles in that department as they've averaged .438. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hernando Christian Academy suffered a grim 15-2 defeat to Seffner Christian in their previous meeting on March 4th. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Seffner Christian's Cyrus Shokrani, who kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over four innings pitched. Now that Hernando Christian Academy knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
