The Hickory Christian Academy Knights will head out on the road to square off against the Westminster Catawba Christian Indians at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
Hickory Christian Academy is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Pinnacle Classical Academy just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 8-7. The loss was the Knights' first of the season.
Jared Zientek put in work no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple was his first of the season.
Zientek wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Carter Moore, who went 1-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. That triple marked the first that Moore hit this season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Westminster Catawba Christian, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They had just enough and edged out NorthPoint Christian Academy 10-8. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Indians as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Like Hickory Christian Academy, Westminster Catawba Christian also got a great game from a two-way player: Brayden Giesler. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and five unearned) runs off three hits. Giesler was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Aiden Campbell was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3. James Reinhardt was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Westminster Catawba Christian's record is now 2-3. As for Hickory Christian Academy, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 3-1.
Hickory Christian Academy couldn't quite get it done against Westminster Catawba Christian when the teams last played back in March of 2019 as they fell 5-0. Can Hickory Christian Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
