Softball Preview: Freedom Christian Academy Patriots vs. North Raleigh Christian Academy Knights
The Freedom Christian Academy Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the North Raleigh Christian Academy Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Freedom Christian Academy sitting on 11 straight wins and North Raleigh Christian Academy on four.
Freedom Christian Academy can now show off seven landslide victories after their most recent match on Friday. They put the hurt on Northwood Temple Academy with a sharp 18-2 victory.
Victoria Bryant was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out ten batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run but no hits. Bryant has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances. Bryant was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, and two doubles.
In other batting news, Freedom Christian Academy got a massive performance out of Savannah Graham, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with a home run, three runs, and four RBI. KK Swinson was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, North Raleigh Christian Academy never let their opponents score on Friday. Everything went their way against St. Mary's as North Raleigh Christian Academy made off with a 16-0 win. Considering North Raleigh Christian Academy has won four games by more than 14 runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Freedom Christian Academy, North Raleigh Christian Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Ava Hodges. On the mound, she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (she also didn't allow any walks). Hodges was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and a double.
In other batting news, North Raleigh Christian Academy got a massive performance out of Kelsey Knox, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Taylor Gardener, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
Freedom Christian Academy pushed their record up to 11-0 with that victory, which was their sixth straight at home. As for North Raleigh Christian Academy, their record now sits at 6-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Freedom Christian Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like North Raleigh Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.6. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Freedom Christian Academy came out on top in a nail-biter against North Raleigh Christian Academy in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 1-0. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Hodges, who struck out nine batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and not a single walk). Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Freedom Christian Academy still be able to contain Hodges? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
