Lake Highland Prep hasn't had much luck against The First Academy recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Lake Highland Prep Highlanders will be playing in front of their home fans against The First Academy Royals at 6:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Lake Highland Prep: 3.2, The First Academy: 3.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Last Friday, Lake Highland Prep came up short against Master's Academy and fell 6-2.
Lake Highland Prep saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Oliver Dugan, who went 2-for-3 with one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask The First Academy). Their pitchers stepped up to hand Trinity Prep a 16-0 shutout on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Royals in their matchups with the Saints: they've now won nine in a row.
Thomas Achey looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in May of 2024.
At the plate, The First Academy got a massive performance out of Kinon Bastian, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and one triple. That triple marked the first that Bastian hit this season. Blake Fields was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
The First Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .581. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.
The First Academy's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Lake Highland Prep, their loss dropped their record down to 4-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Lake Highland Prep has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like The First Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Lake Highland Prep couldn't quite finish off The First Academy in their previous meeting back in March of 2024 and fell 8-6. Will Lake Highland Prep 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.
