Baseball Preview: Saint Stephen's Episcopal Falcons vs. IMG Academy Navy Ascenders
The Saint Stephen's Episcopal Falcons will head out on the road to square off against the IMG Academy Navy Ascenders at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Saint Stephen's Episcopal is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
After soaring to 13 runs the game before, Saint Stephen's Episcopal was a bit more limited in their matchup last Tuesday. They fell victim to a tough 17-2 loss at the hands of Sarasota Christian. Saint Stephen's Episcopal has not had much luck with Sarasota Christian recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Gabriel Conn made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, IMG Academy Navy got themselves on the board against Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate on Tuesday, but Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate never followed suit. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Phoenix and snuck past 1-0. The win was just what IMG Academy Navy needed coming off of a 9-1 defeat in their prior match.
IMG Academy Navy also got a great performance from Baker Riffle as he didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Oliver Boutin relieved him and did a solid job, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks).
On the hitting side, Mak Moorefield was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Saint Stephen's Episcopal's loss dropped their record down to 3-7. As for IMG Academy Navy, their victory bumped their record up to 7-8.
Saint Stephen's Episcopal's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's game. Saint Stephen's Episcopal has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.1 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for IMG Academy Navy, though, as they've been averaging only 0.9. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Saint Stephen's Episcopal continue to outrun the ball?
Saint Stephen's Episcopal came up short against IMG Academy Navy in their previous meeting back in March of 2023, falling 6-2. Can Saint Stephen's Episcopal avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
