The Pine Crest Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Calvary Christian Academy Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Thursday, Pine Crest beat Highlands Christian 12-8. The victory was just what Pine Crest needed coming off of a 15-5 loss in their prior contest.
Pine Crest got a great performance from Jake Del Vecchio as he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off only two hits.
At the plate, Stephen Gladding and Stephen Tate did most of the damage at the plate: Gladding got on base in three of his four plate appearances with a home run, three runs, and two RBI, while Tate scored two runs while going 1-for-3. Alex Schnurman was another key contributor, scoring a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Calvary Christian Academy scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Friday. Everything went their way against Royal Palm Beach as Calvary Christian Academy made off with a 17-4 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Calvary Christian Academy.
Noah Diehl looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also only allowed one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Braden Rosenthal, who went 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles. Another player making a difference was Aaron Vetter, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-5.
Pine Crest's record now sits at 9-6. As for Calvary Christian Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Pine Crest has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Calvary Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.1. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Pine Crest might still be hurting after the 9-2 defeat they got from Calvary Christian Academy when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Thankfully for Pine Crest, Franco Ruocco (who pitched 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
