The Jackson Day Mariners are taking a road trip to face off against the Community Christian Academy Warriors at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.
Jackson Day easily dispatched Sugar Creek Charter on Friday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Mariners fell just short of West Mecklenburg by a score of 9-7 on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Mariners have suffered since April 22, 2024.
Matthew Parson put in work while hitting and pitching. He struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and eight unearned) runs off seven hits. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in March of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Parson wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Nick Rauch, who scored a run while going 1-for-3. Kevin Decosta also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Meanwhile, Community Christian Academy waltzed into their game on Tuesday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They blew past the Mustangs 13-3. Considering the Warriors have won three matches by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Jackson Day, Community Christian Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Aiden Thomas. On the mound, he pitched 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Thomas has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Cole Richardson and Mason Maltba did most of the damage at the plate: Richardson went 3-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double, while Maltba scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Easton Brooks, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Community Christian Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .640. The last time their batting average was this high was back in March of 2024.
Jackson Day has been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 2-7 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.6 runs over those games. As for Community Christian Academy, they pushed their record up to 8-1 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Jackson Day has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Community Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
