The Franklin Road Christian Minutemen will challenge the Zion Christian Academy Eagles at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Franklin Road Christian has now lost seven straight dating back to last season, leaving the team hunting for their first win since the 1st.
Back in March, Franklin Road Christian didn't have quite enough to beat Middle Tennessee Monarchs and fell 5-3. That's two games in a row now that the Minutemen have lost by exactly two runs.
Benjamin Walker was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Mason Alcorn, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Zion Christian Academy made easy work of Santa Fe on Friday and carried off a 15-5 victory. The Eagles haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Kingston Dennie made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He is becoming a predictor of Zion Christian Academy's success: when he allows at most one hit the team is 2-1 (and 5-6 when he doesn't). Dennie was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three RBI. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Carson Boylan, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Zion Christian Academy is 5-1 when Boylan posts two or more runs, but 2-6 otherwise. Austin Surratt was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Zion Christian Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .543. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Franklin Road Christian's loss dropped their record down to 0-3. As for Zion Christian Academy, the victory got them back to even at 7-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Franklin Road Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Zion Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Franklin Road Christian couldn't quite finish off Zion Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in March and fell 14-12. Will the Minutemen have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
