Baseball Game Preview: Lake Norman Christian Lions vs. Grace Academy Lions

Lake Norman Christian are taking a road trip to square off against Grace Academy at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.

It was a proper cat-fight when Lake Norman Christian faced off against Anson on Thursday. The Lions came up short against the Bearcats, falling 9-2. The Lions' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.

Grace Academy hadn't beaten York Prep on the road since March 24, 2015 but that history sure didn't bother them on Tuesday. The Lions put the hurt on the Patriots with a sharp 15-3 victory. The result was nothing new for the Lions, who have now won eight games by nine runs or more so far this season.

Ryan Hartnett made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nick Coccus, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. He is becoming a predictor of Grace Academy's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 5-7 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Fletcher Owens, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.

Grace Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .435. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Grace Academy's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-7. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Lake Norman Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 5-5.

Lake Norman Christian skirted past Grace Academy 5-3 in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Will Lake Norman Christian repeat their success, or does Grace Academy has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.