Baseball Game Preview: Rabun Gap-Nacoochee Eagles vs. Carmel Christian Cougars

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Previous 3 Games

04/13/24 - Home	14-11 W
04/29/23 - Away	13-3 W
05/14/22 - Away	7-0 W

Rabun Gap-Nacoochee is a perfect 3-0 against Carmel Christian since May of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Eagles will square off against the Cougars at 4:15 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.

Rabun Gap-Nacoochee had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the eight-run drubbing they dealt Tallulah Falls on Wednesday. The Eagles never let the Indians get on the board and left with an 8-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Eagles in their matchups with the Indians: they've now won eight in a row.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Carmel Christian took on Ambassador Christian School on Tuesday. The Cougars put the hurt on the Lions with a sharp 12-3 victory.

Nate Trunck was a major factor no matter where he played. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Carmel Christian's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-1 (and 6-9-2 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, Caden Tarr was incredible, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Carmel Christian: the team is 7-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 4-9-2 otherwise. Thomas Gaddy was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run.

Carmel Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .595. The last time their OBP was this high was back in March.

Carmel Christian is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 11-10-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Rabun Gap-Nacoochee, their victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-10.

Rabun Gap-Nacoochee beat Carmel Christian 14-11 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eagles since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.