Saint Stephen's Episcopal has won five straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Bradenton Christian has won five straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Monday. The Saint Stephen's Episcopal Falcons will welcome the Bradenton Christian Panthers at 4:30 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Saint Stephen's Episcopal's win against Booker wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Saint Stephen's Episcopal came out on top in a nail-biter against Booker on Thursday, sneaking past 8-7. The Falcons haven't had any issues with the Tornadoes recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Jackson McLeod was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over 5.2 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. McLeod was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jackson Riffe, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Brody Redmon was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, one double, and one RBI.
Saint Stephen's Episcopal was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .457. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Bradenton Christian was able to grind out a solid win over Southeast on Thursday, taking the game 6-3.
Waylon Moore was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Nate Davis, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-4.
Bradenton Christian has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. Saint Stephen's Episcopal's victory bumped their record up to 4-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Saint Stephen's Episcopal has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bradenton Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Saint Stephen's Episcopal couldn't quite finish off Bradenton Christian in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 and fell 6-4. Can Saint Stephen's Episcopal avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
