The Master's Academy Lions will face off against the Bethel Christian Academy Crusaders at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (The Master's Academy has five straight victories, Bethel Christian Academy has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
The Master's Academy barely beat IC Imagine the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Lions blew past the Kingfishers 17-3 on Tuesday. The Lions might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matchups by six runs or more this season.
Matthew Herring made a big impact no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
Luke Pate
| 04/15/25 @ IC Imagine | 2 |
| 04/11/25 @ Bethel Christian Academy | 1 |
| 04/01/25 @ Christian Family Academy | 1 |
| 04/23/24 @ Christian Family Academy | 1 |
In other batting news, Sawyer Waugh and Luke Pate did most of the damage at the plate: Waugh scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4, while Pate scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave Pate a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was Conrad Schmidt, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-2.
The Master's Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Bethel Christian Academy lost 18-3 to Mountain View Christian Academy on Tuesday.
Bethel Christian Academy saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Dylan Smith, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. Smith also hit a double, marking his first of the season.
The Master's Academy pushed their record up to 9-2 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.8 runs over those games. As for Bethel Christian Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-11.
Bethel Christian Academy's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: The Master's Academy hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .364. It's a different story for Bethel Christian Academy, though, as they've only averaged .252. Will they be able to contain The Master's Academy's hitters?
Everything went The Master's Academy's way against Bethel Christian Academy in their previous meeting on Friday, as The Master's Academy made off with a 12-6 win. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Crusaders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
