The Christian Academy of Knoxville Warriors will venture away from home to face off against the Bearden Bulldogs at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Christian Academy of Knoxville has five straight wins, Bearden has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Christian Academy of Knoxville is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Concord Christian 19-7 on Wednesday. Considering the Warriors have won eight contests by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Halle Bedwell was a standout: she scored four runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-3. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in March of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophie Carroll, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
Christian Academy of Knoxville lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Bearden scored first but ultimately less than Heritage in their game on Wednesday. They fell just short of the Mountaineers by a score of 7-5.
Raya Inge was cooking despite her team's loss, firing off two home runs while going 2-for-3. Those home runs were her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Jaycie Overton, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
Christian Academy of Knoxville pushed their record up to 10-2 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.3 runs over those games. As for Bearden, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-11.
Bearden's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Christian Academy of Knoxville has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .542. It's a different story for Bearden, though, as they've only averaged .341. Will they be able to contain Christian Academy of Knoxville's hitters?
Everything went Christian Academy of Knoxville's way against Bearden in their previous matchup on Monday, as Christian Academy of Knoxville made off with a 12-3 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
