The Central Christian Crusaders will face off against the Hearts Academy Panthers on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Central Christian is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They put the hurt on Oakwood Christian with a sharp 9-3 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Crusaders.
Luke Sweatman made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. That double marked the first that he has hit this season.
In other batting news, Stephen Binggeli was excellent, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and one triple. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in February. Nick DiCicco also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Central Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Oakwood Christian only posted an OBP of .269.
Meanwhile, Hearts Academy came tearing into Friday's contest with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Lions as they made off with an 11-1 win.
Like Central Christian, Hearts Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Jameson Wood. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Wood has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Hearts Academy got a massive performance out of Kyle Stubblefield, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Cole Trawick, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Central Christian's record now sits at 12-8. As for Hearts Academy, their record is now 13-3.
Central Christian couldn't quite get it done against Hearts Academy in their previous matchup back in March as they fell 9-6. Can the Crusaders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
