The Harding Skippers will take on the St. John Heralds at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Harding took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Cornerstone Christian as they made off with a 12-5 victory. With that win, the Skippers brought their scoring average up to 6.5 runs per game.
Wyatt Slavkovsky and Elijah Harless did most of the damage at the plate: Slavkovsky got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI, while Harless went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases and four runs. That's the most runs Harless has posted since back in May of 2025. The team also got some help courtesy of DJ Dambolena, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.
Harding always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, St. John never let their opponents score on Monday. They put the hurt on Cardinal with a sharp 14-0 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Heralds.
Carter Beck made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out nine over five innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of St. John's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 5-6 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Anthony Severino was a standout: he went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two doubles. He has become a key player for St. John: the team is 6-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 3-5 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Gus Petros, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Harding's win bumped their record up to 6-8. As for St. John, their victory bumped their record up to 9-6.
Harding might still be hurting after the 10-0 loss they got from St. John in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Can the Skippers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
