The Madison-Ridgeland Academy Patriots are taking a road trip to challenge the Presbyterian Christian Bobcats at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Madison-Ridgeland Academy's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so Presbyterian Christian's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Madison-Ridgeland Academy will bounce into Tuesday's match after beating Jackson Prep, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Madison-Ridgeland Academy came out on top against Jackson Prep by a score of 4-1 on Friday. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since May 7, 2024, but that streak is no more.
Parks Fuller looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Madison-Ridgeland Academy's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Garrett Gardener, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Presbyterian Christian faced Jackson Academy in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. Presbyterian Christian skirted past Jackson Academy 5-4.
Brennon Thoms was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Presbyterian Christian is undefeated when he allows at most two earned runs, but 7-8 otherwise. Thoms was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in February.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aaron Alston, who scored a run and stole three bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Sam Jones also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Presbyterian Christian is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 11-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. Madison-Ridgeland Academy's record now sits at 11-9.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Madison-Ridgeland Academy hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Presbyterian Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Madison-Ridgeland Academy came out on top in a nail-biter against Presbyterian Christian in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 6-5. Will Madison-Ridgeland Academy repeat their success, or does Presbyterian Christian has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
