The Roanoke Valley Christian EAGLES will head out on the road to square off against the Blue Ridge Jays at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Roanoke Valley Christian is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 13 runs on Monday, they were much more limited against Grace Christian on Tuesday. They lost 7-1 to the Warriors. The defeat continues a trend for the EAGLES in their meetings with the Warriors: they've now lost eight in a row.
Roanoke Valley Christian saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Colton Bowman, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Blue Ridge entered their tilt with Shenandoah Valley Academy on Tuesday with eight consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with nine. They never let the Stars get on the board and left with a 15-0 win. Considering the Jays have won ten matchups by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Cameron Kerns looked comfortable as he struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
At the plate, Lochlan 'Bear' Paul was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Mark Warner, who went 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.
Blue Ridge kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in eight consecutive contests.
Blue Ridge's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.8 runs over those games. As for Roanoke Valley Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 5-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Roanoke Valley Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Blue Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Roanoke Valley Christian couldn't quite get it done against Blue Ridge when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 6-2. Can the EAGLES avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
