The American Leadership Academy Patriots will head out to square off against the Horse Creek Academy Stallions at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.
American Leadership Academy came into their game on Wednesday off a hard-fought close win, but unfortunately suffered a serious change of fortune. They came up short against Spring Valley, falling 9-1.
Meanwhile, Horse Creek Academy came into Tuesday's matchup having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They came out on top against Ridge Spring-Monetta by a score of 17-12 on Tuesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Stallions considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Bryce Gunter made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Horse Creek Academy is 4-2 when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-8 otherwise. Gunter was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run.
In other batting news, Cannon Blume and Connor Kanagy did most of the damage at the plate: Blume went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs, while Kanagy got on base in all five of his plate appearances with four runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. What's more, Kanagy posted two hits, the most he's had since back in March. Another player making a difference was Iniko Barker, who went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and three runs.
Horse Creek Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Horse Creek Academy's record is now 8-10. As for American Leadership Academy, they dropped their record down to 7-16 with the defeat, which was their sixth straight on the road.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. American Leadership Academy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Horse Creek Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
American Leadership Academy came out on top in a nail-biter against Horse Creek Academy when the teams last played back in March, sneaking past 10-8. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
