Baseball Game Preview: Simpson Academy Cougars vs. Park Place Christian Academy Crusaders

Simpson Academy has gone a perfect 10-0 against Park Place Christian Academy recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Simpson Academy Cougars will look to defend their home field against the Park Place Christian Academy Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Simpson Academy has three straight victories, Park Place Christian Academy has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Simpson Academy is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Park Place Christian Academy 12-1 on Tuesday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Cougars with their most commanding win of the season.

Brayden Allen

Earned Runs

03/07/25 vs Oak Forest Academy	3
02/22/25 @ Parklane Academy	2
03/18/25 @ Park Place Christian Academy	1
02/17/25 vs Tri-County Academy	1
02/10/25 vs Magee	1

Brayden Allen spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on six hits. Simpson Academy is 5-1 when Allen allowstwo or fewer earned runs, but 4-5 otherwise.

On the hitting side, Barrett McKenney and Gage Smith did most of the damage at the plate: McKenney went 1-for-2 with four RBI, two runs, and one double, while Smith went 2-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one double. That's the most RBI McKenney has posted since back in February. The team also got some help courtesy of Kade Walker, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.

Simpson Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matches.

Simpson Academy pushed their record up to 9-6 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Park Place Christian Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-5.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Simpson Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Park Place Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.