Baseball Game Preview: Grace Academy Knights vs. Martinsburg Bulldogs

The Grace Academy Knights are taking a road trip to face off against the Martinsburg Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Grace Academy is coming into the matchup on a four-game losing streak.

Things were looking good for Grace Academy after they put the first run on the board on Tuesday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 8-3 to Heritage Academy, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.

Austin Sweeney

Base on Balls Against

04/17/25 @ GVCS Broadfording	3
04/22/25 vs Heritage Academy	1
03/25/25 vs GVCS Broadfording	1

Austin Sweeney was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Grace Academy is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 1-4 otherwise.

At the plate, Grace Academy saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jaeden Peterson, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that Peterson has hit this season. AJ Presley was another, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.

Martinsburg not only won on Saturday, but they posted their biggest win since April 12th (when they won 16-1). They put the hurt on Wallenpaupack Area with a sharp 10-4 victory.

Martinsburg's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-8. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Grace Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-5.

Grace Academy might still be hurting after the 11-1 loss they got from Martinsburg when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Knights avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.