Baseball Recap: Neuse Christian Academy Comes Up Short

Neuse Christian Academy came into this matchup off a tough 15-run defeat on Tuesday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of the Friendship Christian Falcons by a score of 7-5 on Friday. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Falcons this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 7-5 back in March.

Chris Cunningham put in work while hitting and pitching. He struck out 12 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up five earned runs off eight hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two doubles and one stolen base.

Ryder Mlinarcik

Stolen Base

04/24/26 @ Friendship Christian	3
04/21/26 @ St. Thomas More Academy	1
04/17/26 vs Lee Christian	6
04/15/26 @ Thales Academy Rolesville	2
04/10/26 @ Southside Christian	2

In other batting news, Emree Stevens and Ryder Mlinarcik did some serious damage despite the final result: Stevens went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases and one RBI, while Mlinarcik got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run. Mlinarcik has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played. Jake Sawyer also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.

Neuse Christian Academy dropped their record down to 1-11 with the loss, which was their 11th straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Friendship Christian, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 3-7.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Neuse Christian Academy will have a little extra prep time after the defeat as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Sandhills Classical Christian at 4:00 p.m. on May 7. As for Friendship Christian, they will look to defend their home field on Tuesday against Oak Forest at 6:30 p.m.