King's Academy is 9-1 against Cardinal Newman since March of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The King's Academy Lions will face off against the Cardinal Newman Crusaders at 5:00 p.m. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (King's Academy: 2.6, Cardinal Newman: 3.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
King's Academy is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Westminster Academy just ended the team's eight-game winning streak on Friday. They lost 14-5 to the Lions. King's Academy has struggled against Westminster Academy recently, as their contest on Friday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Gracyn Needle was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-3. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last seven times she's played. Lily Stone was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, with a playoff game on the line, Cardinal Newman rose to the challenge on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Cougars a 10-0 shutout. Considering Cardinal Newman has won 13 games by more than seven runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Madelyn Horner and Reese Khanna did most of the damage at the plate: Horner scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-2, while Khanna went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Valeria Estrada, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
King's Academy's defeat ended a 16-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 15-2. As for Cardinal Newman, their win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-4.
Tuesday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. King's Academy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .511. However, it's not like Cardinal Newman struggles in that department as they've averaged .488. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
King's Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over Cardinal Newman in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, winning 12-8. Does King's Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Cardinal Newman turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
