The Charlotte Latin Hawks will square off against the Gaston Christian Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Charlotte Latin is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.1 runs per game this season.
Charlotte Latin is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Covenant Day just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell 6-2 to the Lions. The contest marked the Hawks' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Charlotte Latin saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ainsley Sullivan, who went 2-for-3 with one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Gaston Christian). Everything went their way against Hickory Grove Christian on Tuesday as they made off with a 12-2 victory. The Eagles not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since May 10, 2024 (when they won 10-0).
Lana Hanson was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off eight hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in March. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run.
In other batting news, Marleigh Huskins and Emerson Rushing did most of the damage at the plate: Huskins went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI, while Rushing went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most RBI Rushing has posted since back in April of 2024. Bailey Livengood was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three runs and one double.
Gaston Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .387. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
The win snapped Gaston Christian's losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 3-9 record. As for Charlotte Latin, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-4.
Gaston Christian's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Charlotte Latin hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .419. It's a different story for Gaston Christian, though, as they've only averaged .257. Will they be able to contain Charlotte Latin's hitters?
Charlotte Latin came out on top in a nail-biter against Gaston Christian in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, sneaking past 2-0. Will the Hawks repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
