The Bethel Christian Academy Trojans are taking a road trip to challenge the John Paul II Catholic Saints at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Tuesday, Bethel Christian Academy got the win against Wilmington Christian Academy by a conclusive 10-3. The win continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Patriots: they've now won four in a row.
Suzanne Rouse
| 04/15/25 @ Wilmington Christian Academy | 11 |
| 03/31/25 @ Scotland Christian Academy | 10 |
| 03/03/25 @ Jones | 6 |
| 03/21/25 @ Arendell Parrott Academy | 5 |
| 03/11/25 @ New Life Christian Academy | 5 |
Suzanne Rouse was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 11 over seven innings pitched. Those 11 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her five plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Allison Turnage was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and three runs. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Emma Ingram also deserves some recognition as she launched her first home run of the season.
Meanwhile, John Paul II Catholic made easy work of North East Carolina Prep on Wednesday and carried off a 19-3 victory. That 16 run margin sets a new team best for the Saints this season.
Like Bethel Christian Academy, John Paul II Catholic also got a great game from a two-way player: Logan Smith. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over four innings pitched. Smith was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles.
In other batting news, John Paul II Catholic got a massive performance out of Cara Edwards, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Makinzie Seymour was another key player, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
John Paul II Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .531. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matches.
Bethel Christian Academy pushed their record up to 8-4 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for John Paul II Catholic, their record now sits at 12-8-1.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Bethel Christian Academy hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .383. However, it's not like John Paul II Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .392. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bethel Christian Academy might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from John Paul II Catholic in their previous meeting on April 3rd. Can the Trojans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
