Harding Academy is 1-9 against First Assembly Christian since April of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Lions will head out on the road to take on the Crusaders at 4:30 p.m. Harding Academy has given up an average of 12.4 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Harding Academy fell victim to St. George's and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They lost 15-0 to the Gryphons. The Lions have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask First Assembly Christian). Everything went their way against Whitehaven on Friday as they made off with an 18-3 victory. Considering the Crusaders have won nine matches by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Henry Jones made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
In other pitching news, Colt Trahan looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three).
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Logan Furnas, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. He has become a key player for First Assembly Christian: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 9-17-1 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Reece Saliba, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
First Assembly Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .552. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive contests.
First Assembly Christian's record is now 12-17-1. As for Harding Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-12.
Harding Academy suffered a grim 12-2 defeat to First Assembly Christian in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Can the Lions avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
