The North Florida Christian Eagles will challenge the Evangelical Christian Sentinels at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with North Florida Christian sitting on three straight wins and Evangelical Christian on nine.
North Florida Christian is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They came out on top against University Christian by a score of 11-8. North Florida Christian's victory was all the more impressive since the Christians were averaging only 2.21 runs allowed on the season.
Madison Travis was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Brynlee Pafford, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Meanwhile, Evangelical Christian won against Southwest Florida Christian on Tuesday with 11 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. The Sentinels blew past Shorecrest Prep 11-0. The result was nothing new for the Sentinels, who have now won 19 contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Hayden Billie tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Evangelical Christian got a massive performance out of Anayeli Guzman, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Guzman is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Payton Billie also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Evangelical Christian hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Shorecrest Prep struck out seven times.
North Florida Christian's record is now 16-8. As for Evangelical Christian, their record now sits at 26-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Florida Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Evangelical Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
