Baseball Game Preview: Classical Academy Caimans vs. Maranatha Christian Eagles

For the second straight game, Classical Academy will face off against Maranatha Christian. The Caimans will challenge the Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Classical Academy has struggled recently with five defeats in a row, while Maranatha Christian will arrive with four straight victories.

Classical Academy came into this matchup off a tough ten-run loss on Friday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of Maranatha Christian by a score of 6-4 on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Caimans have suffered since April 1st.

For Maranatha Christian's part, Shane Piester made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Piester has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Maranatha Christian is 6-1 when Piester posts two or more runs, but 9-10 otherwise.

In other batting news, Andrew Browne was excellent, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs and one double. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April.

Maranatha Christian's record is now 15-11. As for Classical Academy, they now have a losing record of 12-13.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Classical Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Maranatha Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.