The Atlantic Christian Cougars will challenge The Pilgrim Academy Pioneers at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The timing is sure in Atlantic Christian's favor as the squad sits on four straight wins at home while The Pilgrim Academy has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road.
Atlantic Christian had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the six-run drubbing they dealt Pleasantville last Friday. The Cougars put the hurt on the Greyhounds with a sharp 15-9 win. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by six runs or more this season.
Ethan Costello
| 05/09/25 vs Pleasantville | 10 |
| 05/02/25 @ Calvary Academy | 8 |
| 04/15/25 vs King's Christian | 6 |
| 04/04/25 @ The Pilgrim Academy | 8 |
| 03/29/25 @ Doane Academy | 6 |
| + 7 more games |
Ethan Costello made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over four innings while giving up four earned runs off four hits (and only one walk). That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. Atlantic Christian is undefeated when Costello posts two or more runs, but 2-4 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Seth Phillips, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with four runs, one double, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Atlantic Christian's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-4 when he doesn't). Colton Carney was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
Atlantic Christian lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, The Pilgrim Academy came into Monday's matchup having lost eight straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They blew past Cape May County Tech 17-7 on Monday. The Pioneers' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
The Pilgrim Academy saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Luke McGonagle, who went 2-for-4 with two runs.
Atlantic Christian is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.9 runs over those games. As for The Pilgrim Academy, their win bumped their record up to 3-9.
The Pilgrim Academy's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Atlantic Christian has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .502. It's a different story for The Pilgrim Academy, though, as they've only averaged .360. Will they be able to contain Atlantic Christian's hitters?
Everything went Atlantic Christian's way against The Pilgrim Academy in their previous matchup back in April, as Atlantic Christian made off with a 15-0 victory. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Pioneers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
