Charlotte Country Day School had lost six straight at home, but on Thursday they dropped their record down to 5-17 to make it seven. They fell 5-0 to the Covenant Day Lions. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Lions this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 6-2 on Tuesday.
Charlotte Country Day School got a good showing from Dehler Hart, who pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. That's the fewest earned runs Hart has allowed since back in March.
At the plate, Charlotte Country Day School saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ryan Jones, who went 1-for-2 with one double.
As for Covenant Day, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 18-4. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games.
On Covenant Day's side, James Cosper made a big impact no matter where he played. He pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Cosper has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in 13 consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two runs and one double. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March.
In other pitching news, Grant Gardner tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts any time he's pitched this season.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Brode Dixon, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Zeb Engstrom, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Looking ahead, Charlotte Country Day School will be playing in front of their home fans against Wesleyan Christian Academy at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The Trojans' pitching crew has only allowed 4.1 runs per game this season, so the Buccaneers' hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Covenant Day, they will head out to take on Charlotte Christian at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Lions 1.6, the Knights 2.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
