Southern Christian has enjoyed a five-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Calvary Christian Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Southern Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.7 runs per game this season.
Southern Christian gave up the first runs last Tuesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Ezekiel Academy and snuck past 4-3.
Cason Oswald spent all seven innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on nine hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Southern Christian saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Journee McKee, who went 3-for-3 with three RBI. Chloe Oswald was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Calvary Christian faced Creekside Christian Academy in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. Calvary Christian never let Creekside Christian Academy onto the board and left with a 24-0 win. Calvary Christian might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won eight matchups by six runs or more this season.
McKenzie Jones looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out eight over four innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Brinley McKelvey was a standout: she fired off two home runs, six RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Kentlee Spates, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and a triple.
Southern Christian's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-12-1. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs per game. As for Calvary Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season.
Friday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Southern Christian has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .435. However, it's not like Calvary Christian struggles in that department as they've averaged .466. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Southern Christian suffered a grim 10-2 defeat to Calvary Christian in their previous matchup on March 14th. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Calvary Christian's Kendall Gumm, who struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Now that Southern Christian knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
