The Calvary Baptist Cougars will square off against the Bethel Christian Kings at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Calvary Baptist will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
On Friday, Calvary Baptist made easy work of Bell Gardens and carried off a 12-2 victory. Considering the Cougars have won 12 contests by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
R.J. Franco and Chris Bacarella made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Franco struck out nine batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Bacarella pitched 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. At bat, Franco went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run, while Bacarella went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Devin Debuono was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Zaedik Mcphail, who went 3-for-5 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Calvary Baptist always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .605. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bell Gardens only posted an OBP of .320.
Meanwhile, Bethel Christian fell victim to Cornerstone Christian and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They came up short against the Crusaders, falling 20-0. The Kings have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Bethel Christian saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tony Whitehead, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Calvary Baptist has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 13 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.4 runs over those games. As for Bethel Christian, they now have a losing record of 8-9.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Calvary Baptist hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .365. However, it's not like Bethel Christian struggles in that department as they've averaged .347. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Calvary Baptist took their victory against Bethel Christian when the teams last played on April 8th by a conclusive 13-0 score. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Kings turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
