The Citizens Christian Academy Patriots will square off against the Vidalia Heritage Academy Eagles on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Citizens Christian Academy sitting on eight straight victories and Vidalia Heritage Academy on six.
Citizens Christian Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Everything went their way against Westwood as they made off with a 10-2 win. Considering the Patriots have won 14 matches by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Thomas Gentry and Jonathan Rutland were major factors while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Gentry struck out 12 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Meanwhile, Rutland struck out six batters over two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). Gentry has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. At the plate, Gentry went 3-for-4 with three RBI and one double, while Rutland went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gray McLean, who went 3-for-4 with three runs and two doubles. That's the most doubles he has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Tyson Crosby, who earned two runs and three stolen bases.
Citizens Christian Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Vidalia Heritage Academy sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-3 victory over Grace Christian Academy on Thursday.
Luke Moxley was excellent, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run. RJ Wells was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one run and one double.
Citizens Christian Academy's win was their 12th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 21-7-2. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.2 runs over those games. As for Vidalia Heritage Academy, their win bumped their record up to 16-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Citizens Christian Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Vidalia Heritage Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Citizens Christian Academy came out on top in a nail-biter against Vidalia Heritage Academy in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 1-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
