The Pinecrest Academy Paladins will venture away from home to challenge the Covenant Christian Academy Rams at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Pinecrest Academy is coming into the match hot, having won their last seven games.
On Tuesday, Pinecrest Academy made easy work of Trinity Classical and carried off an 18-1 victory. The Paladins might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 contests by ten runs or more this season.
Mathew Sime was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hunter Bolt, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Carter Barrett, who scored two runs while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Pinecrest Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .655. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .514 or higher in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Covenant Christian Academy came up short against Johnson Ferry Christian Academy on Monday and fell 14-9.
Like Pinecrest Academy, Covenant Christian Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Asher Bond. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Bond was even better at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI. That triple marked the first that he hit this season.
In other batting news, Garrison Barton was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-4.
Pinecrest Academy's win was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Covenant Christian Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 8-4.
Wednesday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Pinecrest Academy hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .332. However, it's not like Covenant Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .358. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Pinecrest Academy's way against Covenant Christian Academy in their previous meeting back in March, as Pinecrest Academy made off with a 12-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Paladins since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
