Baseball Game Preview: Temple Christian Crusaders vs. United Christian Academy Crusaders

Temple Christian will challenge United Christian Academy at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Temple Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.

Last Friday, Temple Christian was able to grind out a solid win over Faith Christian Academy, taking the game 7-4. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Crusaders.

Luke Gifford

Batters Struck Out (Career)

03/28/25 @ Faith Christian Academy	9
03/11/25 vs Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy	5
04/09/24 vs Westover Christian Academy	3
05/03/24 @ Roanoke Valley Christian	2
03/20/25 @ Christian Heritage Academy	1

Luke Gifford made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one double. Temple Christian is undefeated when Gifford posts two or more stolen bases, but 1-2 otherwise.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tyler Cash, who scored a run and stole three bases while going 2-for-4. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March of 2024.

Meanwhile, United Christian Academy never let their opponents score on Monday. They blew past Fresta Valley Christian 8-0.

United Christian Academy's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-2. As for Temple Christian, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.

Everything went Temple Christian's way against United Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, as Temple Christian made off with a 23-1 victory. Will Temple Christian repeat their success, or does United Christian Academy has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.