The Greater Beckley Christian Crusaders will face off against the Cross Lanes Christian Warriors at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Greater Beckley Christian is coming into the contest hot, having won their last three games.
On Friday, Greater Beckley Christian had just enough and edged out Pocahontas County 6-5.
Leah Adkins was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Adkins was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Allison Moten, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Peyton Heffernan, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one double.
While Cross Lanes Christian didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-9), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. Everything went their way against Greater Beckley Christian last Saturday as they made off with a 14-1 win. Considering the Warriors have won four games by more than nine runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Cross Lanes Christian got a massive performance out of Mary Franke, who went 2-for-3 with four stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Cassidy Witt was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two doubles.
Cross Lanes Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Greater Beckley Christian's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-5. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Cross Lanes Christian, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Greater Beckley Christian has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Cross Lanes Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Greater Beckley Christian suffered a grim 14-1 defeat to Cross Lanes Christian in their previous meeting last Saturday. Will the Crusaders have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
