Baseball Game Preview: Gilbert Classical Academy Spartans vs. Arizona Lutheran Academy Coyotes

The Gilbert Classical Academy Spartans will venture away from home to square off against the Arizona Lutheran Academy Coyotes at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Gilbert Classical Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.1 runs per game this season.

Gilbert Classical Academy will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Tuesday, then bounced right back against San Carlos on Thursday. The Spartans were the clear victors by a 22-6 margin over the Braves. The victory continues a trend for the Spartans in their matchups with the Braves: they've now won five in a row.

Beckett Elliott

Hits (Career)

04/03/25 @ San Carlos	4
03/28/25 vs Miami	2
03/06/25 @ Highland Prep West	2
03/03/25 @ Heritage Academy	2
04/16/24 vs San Carlos	2

Beckett Elliott was a standout: he scored five runs and stole two bases while going 4-for-4. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Hobey Hartman also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.

Gilbert Classical Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .659. They are 3-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Meanwhile, Arizona Lutheran Academy was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They took a 7-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of Veritas Prep.

Rafael Guerrero was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He pitched five innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off eight hits. Guerrero was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played.

In other batting news, Isaiah Adriano made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Nash Bielke, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.

Arizona Lutheran Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 4-8. As for Gilbert Classical Academy, their record is now 4-5-1.

Gilbert Classical Academy couldn't quite finish off Arizona Lutheran Academy when the teams last played back in May of 2023 and fell 5-3. Can the Spartans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.