Hickory Grove Christian and Metrolina Christian Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2021, but likely not for long. The Lions will head out to square off against the Warriors at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Hickory Grove Christian's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They put the hurt on SouthLake Christian Academy with a sharp 10-0 win. The victory was nothing new for the Lions as they're now sitting on three straight.
Davis Cabbage
| 04/15/25 vs SouthLake Christian Academy | 8 |
| 03/07/25 @ Christ School | 8 |
Davis Cabbage and Ben Green made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Cabbage struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Meanwhile, Green pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the most strikeouts Cabbage has posted since back in March. At bat, Cabbage scored three runs, while Green went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double. Cabbage has become a key player for Hickory Grove Christian: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 3-7 otherwise.
In other batting news, Gavin Pelow was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Tyler Wright, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Hickory Grove Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .500 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Gaston Christian typically has all the answers at home, but on Tuesday Metrolina Christian Academy proved too difficult a challenge. They blew past the Eagles 13-4. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Warriors considering their two-run performance the game before.
Case Gibbs tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in ten consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Metrolina Christian Academy got a massive performance out of Jacob Seamon, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Caleb Hunter, who scored two runs while going 3-for-5.
Hickory Grove Christian's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-7. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games. As for Metrolina Christian Academy, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 20-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Hickory Grove Christian has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Metrolina Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Hickory Grove Christian came up short against Metrolina Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in March, falling 4-1. Can the Lions avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
