Baseball Preview: Hickory Grove Christian Lions vs. Gaston Christian Eagles
Hickory Grove Christian is 10-0 against Gaston Christian since March of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Hickory Grove Christian Lions will look to defend their home field against the Gaston Christian Eagles at 4:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Hickory Grove Christian never got on the board in their matchup on Tuesday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Parkwood last Friday. They blew past the Wolf Pack 13-1.
Ben Green made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Green has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive pitching appearances. Green was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with four RBI, a run, and a double.
In other pitching news, Brady Johnson looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive pitching appearances.
Back at the plate, Ryan Quesinberry was excellent, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Gaston Christian waltzed into their matchup on Monday with seven straight wins... but they left with eight. They were the clear victor by a 9-3 margin over the Cougars.
Like Hickory Grove Christian, Gaston Christian also got a great game from a two-way player: David Nicks. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks). Nicks was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Meridian Leffew, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Ty Risk, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Hickory Grove Christian's win bumped their record up to 11-6. As for Gaston Christian, they pushed their record up to 11-2 with that victory, which was their sixth straight on the road.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Hickory Grove Christian hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Gaston Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Hickory Grove Christian beat Gaston Christian 11-8 in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Will Hickory Grove Christian repeat their success, or does Gaston Christian have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
