Baseball Game Preview: Hickory Christian Academy Knights vs. Salem Baptist Christian Vikings

For the second straight game, Hickory Christian Academy will face off against Salem Baptist Christian. Hickory Christian Academy will welcome Salem Baptist Christian at 6:15 p.m. on Monday. One thing working in Hickory Christian Academy's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last three matches.

On Friday, Hickory Christian Academy was able to grind out a solid win over Salem Baptist Christian, taking the game 12-7. The victory continues a trend for the Knights in their matchups with the Vikings: they've now won five in a row.

Caleb Friar was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off five hits. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-5.

Shepherd Yount

Hits (Career)

03/28/25 @ Salem Baptist Christian	3
03/25/25 vs Westminster Catawba Christian	2
03/21/25 @ Westminster Catawba Christian	2
03/20/25 vs Pinnacle Classical Academy	2
03/21/24 vs Salem Baptist Christian	2

Friar wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Shepherd Yount, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4. Those three hits gave Yount a new career-high.

Hickory Christian Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in six consecutive games.

Hickory Christian Academy's win bumped their record up to 6-2. As for Salem Baptist Christian, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 1-6.

Salem Baptist Christian's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Hickory Christian Academy has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.5 hits per game. It's a different story for Salem Baptist Christian, though, as they've been averaging 10.7 hits. Given Hickory Christian Academy's sizable advantage in that area, Salem Baptist Christian will need to find a way to close that gap. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.