The Charlotte Christian Knights will square off against the Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Charlotte Christian is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Charlotte Christian is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of North Carolina's top teams: Wesleyan Christian Academy, who was ranked 14th at the time (Charlotte Christian was ranked first). Charlotte Christian narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Wesleyan Christian Academy 6-5.
Wade Thompson looked comfortable as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over four innings pitched. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024.
Cohen Bettencourt
| 03/06/25 vs Wesleyan Christian Academy | 2 |
| 03/04/25 vs Weddington | 1 |
| 03/01/25 vs Cienega | 1 |
| 04/20/24 @ Charlotte Latin | 1 |
| 04/09/24 vs Cannon | 1 |
On the hitting side, Charlotte Christian let Cohen Bettencourt and Owen Farrell run wild. Bettencourt went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI, while Farrell scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-3. The dominant performance gave Bettencourt a new career-high in doubles. Hudson Simmons also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Gibbons fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Jordan on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Falcons by a score of 8-7. The Crusaders haven't had much luck with the Falcons recently, as the team has come up short the last six times they've met.
Cardinal Gibbons also got a good showing from Max Boyatt, who struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits.
At the plate, Cam Tarkenton made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played. Andrew Riedel was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Charlotte Christian's victory bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Cardinal Gibbons, they now have a losing record of 2-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Charlotte Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cardinal Gibbons struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Charlotte Christian took their win against Cardinal Gibbons in their previous meeting back in March of 2023 by a conclusive 8-2. Does Charlotte Christian have another victory up their sleeve, or will Cardinal Gibbons turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
