The Ashley Screaming Eagle will take on the Grace Christian Crusaders in a tournament on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Ashley 2.6, Grace Christian 2.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Ashley easily dispatched West Brunswick on Tuesday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Screaming Eagle fell just short of Laney by a score of 6-4 on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Screaming Eagle have suffered against the Buccaneers since March 14, 2023.
Ashley saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Nate Carmack, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2. That stolen base marked the first that Carmack snagged this season.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Tuesday Grace Christian sidestepped Cary Christian for a 4-2 win.
Luke Roupe spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on four hits and racked up 15 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Jimmy Alfonsin was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in doubles (two). Alex Pena Jimenez was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
Grace Christian's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Ashley, their loss dropped their record down to 15-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ashley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Grace Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 11.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
