The Foundation Academy Lions will challenge the Geneva Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Foundation Academy comes in on five and Geneva on nine.
Foundation Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Lakeland Christian 11-1. 11 seems to be a good number for the Lions as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Riley Winters made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Norah Ranaudo, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That home run was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Elizabeth Ozim, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI.
Foundation Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in eight consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Geneva made easy work of Master's Academy on Tuesday and carried off a 16-2 win. The result was nothing new for the Knights, who have now won 17 matches by eight runs or more so far this season.
Like Foundation Academy, Geneva also got a great game from a two-way player: Dallas Esperas. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). That's the most strikeouts Esperas has posted since back in April. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and one double.
In other batting news, Ella Ingram was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and two runs. Those six RBI gave her a new career-high. Emma Bastian was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs and one RBI.
Geneva pushed their record up to 20-3 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Foundation Academy, their record is now 17-7.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Foundation Academy hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. However, it's not like Geneva struggles in that department as they've averaged .433. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Foundation Academy took their victory against Geneva in their previous matchup back in April of 2022 by a conclusive 8-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lions since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
