Southern Academy hasn't had much luck against Wayne Academy recently, but that could start to change on Friday. A feisty cat fight will be fought as the Cougars take on the Jaguars at 4:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Southern Academy will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Ezekiel Academy on Thursday. Everything went Southern Academy's way against Ezekiel Academy as Southern Academy made off with an 11-1 win. Considering the Cougars have won three matchups by more than nine runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Southern Academy got a massive performance out of Cooper Thorn, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. That's the most runs Thorn has posted since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Drew Rogers, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Southern Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .409. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Ezekiel Academy only posted a batting average of .118.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Wayne Academy, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Southern Academy a 9-0 shutout. The Jaguars haven't had any issues with the Cougars recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Not much got past Ian Smith, who gave up just four hits and racked up eight Ks to keep Southern Academy off the board.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Patten Shirley, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Shirley is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's stole at least one every time he's taken the field this season. Cale Graham was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
Southern Academy's win bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Wayne Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 2-3.
Friday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Southern Academy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .446. However, it's not like Wayne Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .475. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Southern Academy suffered a grim 9-0 defeat to Wayne Academy in their previous meeting on Tuesday. Can Southern Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
