Baseball Game Preview: Oak Grove Classical Academy Owls vs. Del Norte Knights

The Oak Grove Classical Academy Owls will face off against the Del Norte Knights at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Oak Grove Classical Academy has five straight wins, Del Norte has ten straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Last Monday, Oak Grove Classical Academy made easy work of Jemez Valley and carried off a 19-3 victory. The Owls might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by ten runs or more this season.

Ben Fernandez

Batters Struck Out (Career)

04/14/25 vs Jemez Valley	7
04/10/25 @ Pecos	6
04/05/25 vs Mesilla Valley Christian School	6
04/12/25 @ Navajo Pine	1

Ben Fernandez made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off eight hits. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3. He is becoming a predictor of Oak Grove Classical Academy's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-6 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, Miles Shiver was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with four runs, two stolen bases, and five RBI. He has become a key player for Oak Grove Classical Academy: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 3-6 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Isaac Rush, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-2.

Meanwhile, Del Norte fell victim to Manzano and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They came up short against the Monarchs, falling 13-0.

The win got Oak Grove Classical Academy back to even at 6-6. As for Del Norte, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-14-1.

Del Norte's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Oak Grove Classical Academy hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .409. It's a different story for Del Norte, though, as they've only averaged .210. Will they be able to contain Oak Grove Classical Academy's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.