The Lawrence Academy Warriors will challenge the Grace Christian Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Lawrence Academy 3.5, Grace Christian 2.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Lawrence Academy's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged out Camden County 1-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Warriors have posted since May 11, 2024.
Claire Smith
| 04/02/25 vs Camden County | 2 |
| 03/28/25 vs Perquimans | 1 |
| 03/27/25 vs Northeast Academy | 0 |
The result came thanks to Claire Smith's shutout, as she gave up just two hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.
Lawrence Academy hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least three strikeouts batters in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Grace Christian waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They put the hurt on the Eagles with a sharp 9-2 win. Considering the Crusaders have won six games by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Hayley Pugh was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Pugh was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March of 2024.
Pugh wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Adison Gardner, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Lawrence Academy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Grace Christian, their win bumped their record up to 6-1.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Lawrence Academy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .481. However, it's not like Grace Christian struggles in that department as they've averaged .488. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lawrence Academy came out on top in a nail-biter against Grace Christian in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, sneaking past 8-7. Will the Warriors repeat their success, or do the Crusaders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
