The First Academy is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Geneva is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Royals will host the Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
The First Academy is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy on Tuesday as they made off with a 17-2 win. With that victory, the Royals brought their scoring average up to 6.3 runs per game.
Abby Edwards looked comfortable as she pitched three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits.
On the hitting side, Isabella Brown was a standout: she scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Peyton Watts, who scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
The First Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.6 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 12.2.
Meanwhile, Geneva never let their opponents score on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 16-0 margin over Lake Highland Prep. The result was nothing new for the Knights, who have now won seven contests by ten runs or more so far this season.
Bella Ortiz made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off three home runs and six RBI while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits she has posted since back in February.
In other batting news, Emma Bastian was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Chloe Incinelli, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI.
The First Academy is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-7 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for Geneva, their victory bumped their record up to 9-2.
The First Academy's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's match. The Royals have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.5 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Geneva, though, as they've been averaging only 1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will The First Academy continue to outrun the ball?
Everything went The First Academy's way against Geneva in their previous meeting back in April of 2019, as The First Academy made off with a 15-0 win. Will the Royals repeat their success, or do the Knights have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
