The Cary Academy Chargers will take on the GRACE Christian Eagles at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday.
Cary Academy is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 23 runs on Thursday, they were much more limited against Charlotte Latin on Saturday. They lost 19-1 to the Hawks. The defeat continues a trend for the Chargers in their meetings with the Hawks: they've now lost four in a row.
Meanwhile, GRACE Christian had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. Everything went their way against the Ravens as they made off with a 17-2 win.
Addison Vercellino made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Vercellino was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances.
In other batting news, Lydia Lester was a standout: she got on base in all three of her plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. She continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Taylor Laraway was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.
GRACE Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .828. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
GRACE Christian pushed their record up to 3-1 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 12.2 runs. As for Cary Academy, they now have a losing record of 1-2.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Cary Academy hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .500. However, it's not like GRACE Christian struggles in that department as they've averaged .395. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cary Academy might still be hurting after the 17-4 loss they got from GRACE Christian in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can Cary Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
