Northside Christian is on a seven-game streak of home losses dating back to last season, and Shekinah Christian a three-game streak of away losses. However, someone's due for a change in luck on Thursday. The Northside Christian Lions will be playing in front of their home fans against the Shekinah Christian Flames at 5:30 p.m. Northside Christian has given up an average of 13.1 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Genoa Christian Academy hit Northside Christian with a six-run fifth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Lions came up short against Genoa Christian Academy, falling 13-3.
Northside Christian saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Micah Taylor, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Shekinah Christian got the win against Madison Christian on Tuesday by a conclusive 15-1. The Flames might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matchups by 11 runs or more this season.
Aiden Nofziger made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Shekinah Christian is undefeated when Nofziger posts two or more runs, but 1-3 otherwise.
In other batting news, Alex Bauermeister was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season. Jayce Yoder was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs and one double.
Shekinah Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .581. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Madison Christian only posted an OBP of .348.
Shekinah Christian is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. As for Northside Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Northside Christian has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Shekinah Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Northside Christian might still be hurting after the 24-0 defeat they got from Shekinah Christian in their previous matchup on April 4th. Will the Lions have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
