Hilliard hasn't had much luck against Christ's Church Academy recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. Hilliard will welcome Christ's Church Academy at 6:30 p.m.
Hilliard easily dispatched Bradford on Thursday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. Hilliard fell just short of Charlton County by a score of 9-7 on Saturday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Red Flashes have suffered since February 21st.
Braden Bentley was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in February of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-2. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season.
Bentley wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jacob Cooper, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. That's the most hits Cooper has posted since back in February. Anthony Musgrove also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Meanwhile, Christ's Church Academy posted their closest victory since April 9, 2024 on Monday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Covenant School of Jacksonville, sneaking past 7-6.
Like Hilliard, Christ's Church Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Ayden Bedi. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Bedi has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Jack Rose looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. He has become a key player for Christ's Church Academy: the team is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 3-7 otherwise.
Back at the plate, Brady Watson and Kaleb Robor did most of the damage at the plate: Watson scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Robor got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI and one double. Another player making a difference was Parker Swartz, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Christ's Church Academy is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-7 record this season. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing nine hits in those games compared to only 4.83 in the others. Hilliard's defeat dropped their record down to 3-11.
Hilliard suffered a grim 16-1 defeat to Christ's Church Academy in their previous matchup back in February. Will Hilliard have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
