Baseball Preview: Charlotte Christian Knights vs. Hickory Grove Christian Lions
The Charlotte Christian Knights will be playing in front of their home fans against the Hickory Grove Christian Lions at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Charlotte Christian: 3.9, Hickory Grove Christian: 2.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Last Tuesday, Charlotte Christian earned a 9-5 win over Charlotte Latin.
The team relied heavily on Drew Beard, who went 4-for-4 with two triples, three runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Leo Munoz, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Hickory Grove Christian came tearing into Friday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.3 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-3 victory over the Cougars.
Landon Boyd was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits (and only one walk). Boyd has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Boyd was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with a double and an RBI.
Boyd wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Davis Cabbage, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Charlotte Christian has been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 13 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season. As for Hickory Grove Christian, they pushed their record up to 14-6 with that win, which was their third straight on the road.
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 9.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Hickory Grove Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Charlotte Christian was able to grind out a solid victory over Hickory Grove Christian when the teams last played two weeks ago, winning 5-2. Will Charlotte Christian repeat their success, or does Hickory Grove Christian have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
