The Lakeside Christian Lions will challenge the Canterbury Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
Lakeside Christian came into their game on Thursday off a hard-fought close win, but unfortunately suffered a serious change of fortune. They lost 10-0 to Indian Rocks Christian. While getting shut out isn't ideal, the Lions haven't been shut out since back in March.
Meanwhile, Canterbury had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Monday. They skirted past Keswick Christian 4-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win Canterbury has posted since March 10th.
Gabriel Blaxberg made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over 6.2 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tyler Woodward, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Ian Robinson was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI.
Lakeside Christian has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-9 record this season. As for Canterbury, their record is now 10-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lakeside Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Canterbury struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 11.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lakeside Christian came up short against Canterbury in their previous matchup last Tuesday, falling 4-1. Can the Lions avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
