Baseball Game Preview: Covenant Day Lions vs. Philip Simmons Iron Horses

The Covenant Day Lions will head out on the road to challenge the Philip Simmons Iron Horses at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Covenant Day is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last six games.

Covenant Day is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Oceanside Collegiate Academy, who was ranked first in their home state at the time (Covenant Day was ranked 16th). Covenant Day won by a run and slipped past Oceanside Collegiate Academy 1-0.

Grant Gardner

Batters Struck Out

03/18/25 @ Oceanside Collegiate Academy	13
03/11/25 vs Wesleyan Christian Academy	14
03/04/25 vs Legion Collegiate Academy	12
02/27/25 @ Ben Lippen	9

Grant Gardner tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 13 over six innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts any time he's pitched this season.

Meanwhile, Philip Simmons had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They blew past the Islanders 7-1. The result was nothing new for the Iron Horses, who have now won three games by six runs or more so far this season.

Charlie Helms spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on six hits and racked up six Ks. That's the fewest earned runs he has allowed since back in March of 2024.

On the hitting side, Alex Romanski was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Philip Simmons: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 0-4 otherwise. Blake Johnson also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.

Covenant Day's record now sits at 8-1. As for Philip Simmons, their record now sits at 3-4.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Covenant Day has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 12.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Philip Simmons struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.