Baseball Game Preview: Hernando Tigers vs. Northpoint Christian Trojans

The Hernando Tigers will take on the Northpoint Christian Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Hernando 3.2, Northpoint Christian 3.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Northpoint Christian will take on a team with plenty of momentum: Hernando extended their winning streak to four on Monday. The Tigers were the clear victors by a 12-1 margin over Lafayette. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won ten contests by six runs or more so far this season.

Coen McKnight and Asher Lawson dominated on the mound. McKnight pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits, while Lawson tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Lawson has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Josh Pe?a and Connor Young did most of the damage at the plate: Pe?a scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Young scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Axton Westmoreland, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.

Hernando always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lafayette only posted an OBP of .333.

Meanwhile, after a string of six wins, Northpoint Christian's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They took a 5-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of Evangelical Christian. The game marked the Trojans' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Hernando pushed their record up to 17-8-1 with the win, which was their eighth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Northpoint Christian, their loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 7-2-1.

Hernando took their win against Northpoint Christian in their previous meeting back in March of 2020 by a conclusive 16-5 score. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Trojans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.