The Florida Christian Patriots will square off against the King's Academy Lions at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Florida Christian 3.5, King's Academy 3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Florida Christian is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They didn't even let Miami Country Day on the board, marking the Patriots' second-straight 15-0 shutout. The Patriots might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 14 matches by six runs or more this season.
Shaun Fernandez made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one walk in eight consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Florida Christian got a massive performance out of Emily Ruiz, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Kianny Gil, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with four stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Florida Christian kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, King's Academy didn't have quite enough to beat John Carroll Catholic on Thursday and fell 6-5.
King's Academy saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Caroline Duncan, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Florida Christian has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for King's Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-6.
Florida Christian's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's match. The Patriots have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.9 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for King's Academy, though, as they've been averaging only 1.3 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Florida Christian continue to outrun the ball? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
