The Seventy-First Falcons will head out to take on the Freedom Christian Academy Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Seventy-First has struggled recently with six losses in a row, while Freedom Christian Academy will arrive with five straight victories.
Seventy-First came up short against Lumberton on Wednesday, falling 21-1.
Seventy-First saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cory Bush, who scored a run while going 1-for-1.
Meanwhile, Freedom Christian Academy owes their pitching crew a big pat on the back after their performance on Tuesday. They blew past North Moore 7-0. The Patriots might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 contests by seven runs or more this season.
Graysen Stafford was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Andrew Corney was excellent, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base and two RBI. Alonzo Webster was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
Freedom Christian Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North Moore only posted a batting average of .095.
Freedom Christian Academy pushed their record up to 14-3 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Seventy-First, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-13.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Seventy-First has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Freedom Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Seventy-First might still be hurting after the 16-0 loss they got from Freedom Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Falcons avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
