Pine Crest's game last Tuesday was a tough loss, but they didn't let that memory haunt them on Thursday. They came out on top against the Highlands Christian Knights by a score of 12-8. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Pine Crest also won the last time the pair played back in March of 2023.
Pine Crest got a great performance from Jake Del Vecchio as he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off only two hits.
At the plate, Stephen Gladding and Stephen Tate did most of the damage at the plate: Gladding got on base in three of his four plate appearances with a home run, three runs, and two RBI, while Tate scored two runs while going 1-for-3. Cooper Obst was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-2.
On Highlands Christian's side, Joseph Febus put in work while hitting and pitching. He pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Febus was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Joey Arroyo was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Valentino Pupo, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Pine Crest's win bumped their record up to 9-6. As for Highlands Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-4.
Pine Crest will head out on the road to face off against Calvary Christian Academy at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Calvary Christian Academy's pitching crew has only allowed 2.6 runs per game this season, so Pine Crest's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Highlands Christian, they will be playing at home against Atlantic at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Atlantic has struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 12.67 runs per game on average), something Highlands Christian will no doubt try to take advantage of.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
