The Evangel Christian Lightning will square off against the Southern Christian Patriots at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Evangel Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.5 runs per game this season.
Evangel Christian had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Heritage Christian Academy on Thursday. Evangel Christian was the clear victors by a 19-9 margin over Heritage Christian Academy. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Lightning considering their two-run performance the game before.
Gracelynn Shackelford
| 03/20/25 vs Heritage Christian Academy | 6 |
| 03/11/25 @ Trinity Christian Homeschool | 3 |
| 02/25/25 @ Heritage Christian Academy | 3 |
| 02/29/24 @ Chambers Academy | 3 |
| 02/15/24 vs Autauga Academy | 3 |
Gracelynn Shackelford was a standout: she went a perfect 3-for-3 with six RBI, three runs, and one stolen base. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in RBI. Makayla Cranford was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs, three RBI, and two doubles.
Meanwhile, Southern Christian scored the most runs they've had this season on Thursday, but it wasn't enough. They came up short against Lakeside School, falling 14-8.
Southern Christian saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kimber White, who went 4-for-5 with one home run, four runs, and one triple. That home run was White's first of the season.
Even though they lost, Southern Christian kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Evangel Christian is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. Southern Christian's loss dropped their record down to 1-9.
Southern Christian's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Evangel Christian hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .338. It's a different story for Southern Christian, though, as they've only averaged .255. Will they be able to contain Evangel Christian's hitters?
Evangel Christian skirted past Southern Christian 3-2 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Does Evangel Christian have another victory up their sleeve, or will Southern Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
