Ospreys
| 04/15/25 vs Jefferson Forest | 0 |
| 04/04/25 @ Franklin County | 1 |
| 04/01/25 @ Timberlake Christian | 25 |
| 03/29/25 vs North Cross | 4 |
| 03/28/25 vs Life Christian Academy | 4 |
| + 7 more games |
The Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy Ospreys will challenge the North Cross Raiders at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.5 runs per game this season.
Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy fell victim to Jefferson Forest and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They lost 14-0 to the Cavaliers. The match marked the first time this season in which the Ospreys were not able to get on the board.
Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ryan Canipe, who went 1-for-2 with one double.
Meanwhile, North Cross' rock-solid pitchers showed up for the team's fourth consecutive shutout on Tuesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Roanoke Catholic a 12-0 shutout. Considering the Raiders have won seven contests by more than seven runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Hanchen Ou was a major factor no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tristan Lange, who scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Chase Shannon was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
North Cross always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Roanoke Catholic only posted an OBP of .125.
North Cross pushed their record up to 9-4 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy, their defeat was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 7-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like North Cross struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy was able to grind out a solid win over North Cross in their previous meeting back in March, winning 4-0. Will the Ospreys repeat their success, or do the Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
