Family Christian hasn't had much luck against False River recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Family Christian Flames will look to defend their home field against the False River Gators at 2:00 p.m. Family Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 12 runs per game this season.
Family Christian took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 20-1 margin over Broadmoor. The Flames have beaten the Buccaneers the last eight times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Buccaneers has come to flipping the script.
Ethan McDowell looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest he's had since back in May of 2024.
Parker Ruckman
| 02/27/25 @ Tara | 4 |
| 02/10/25 @ Slaughter Community Charter | 3 |
| 03/13/25 vs Broadmoor | 2 |
| 02/22/25 vs East Iberville | 2 |
| 03/11/25 @ Brusly | 1 |
| + 2 more games |
On the hitting side, Parker Ruckman was a standout: he went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. Family Christian is undefeated when Ruckman posts two or more runs, but 5-6 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Terrance Kilbourne, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-1.
Family Christian hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in six consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, False River was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their 13th straight defeat. They came up short against Liberty Magnet, falling 15-7.
Travis Fields and Cruz Pourciau stepped up to the plate in a big way. Fields scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Pourciau went 2-for-4 with two doubles and one RBI. The dominant performance gave Fields a new career-high in runs. Another player making a difference was Matthew Gradfeo, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Family Christian pushed their record up to 9-6 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for False River, their loss dropped their record down to 0-14-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Family Christian has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like False River struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Family Christian couldn't quite finish off False River in their previous matchup back in March of 2023 and fell 6-4. Will Family Christian have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
