The Central Christian Crusaders will head out on the road to face off against the Praise Academy Lions at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Central Christian took a 15-run loss the last time they faced off against Skipstone Academy, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Crusaders narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Warriors 8-6. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Crusaders have posted since March 3rd.
Meanwhile, Praise Academy had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Monday. They never let Abundant Life Christian Academy get on the board and left with a 12-0 win. Praise Academy might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by eight runs or more this season.
Chase Hayward and Cap Cheshire made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Hayward struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Cheshire tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. At the plate, Hayward went 1-for-2 with two runs and one double, while Cheshire went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Praise Academy is 3-1 when Cheshire posts two or more runs, but 2-3 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brayden Kirby, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Praise Academy's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-4 when he doesn't). Aden Brown also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Praise Academy's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. As for Central Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-6-1 record this season.
Everything went Central Christian's way against Praise Academy when the teams last played back in March, as Central Christian made off with a 16-4 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Crusaders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
