Baseball Game Preview: Hickory Christian Academy Knights vs. Cornerstone Christian Academy Crusaders

The Hickory Christian Academy Knights will venture away from home to face off against the Cornerstone Christian Academy Crusaders at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Hickory Christian Academy's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last four matchups.

Hickory Christian Academy barely beat Statesville Christian the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Knights put the hurt on the Lions with a sharp 13-0 win on Tuesday. The Knights have beaten the Lions the last five times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Lions has come to flipping the script.

Jared Zientek was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.

Davis Morgan

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/01/25 vs Statesville Christian	4
03/24/25 vs North Hills Christian	3
03/25/25 vs Westminster Catawba Christian	2
04/23/24 vs Asheville School (Independent)	2
03/19/24 vs North Hills Christian	2

Zientek wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Davis Morgan, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. Those four RBI gave Morgan a new career-high. Lleyton Hines also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.

Hickory Christian Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .516. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Statesville Christian only posted an OBP of .125.

Meanwhile, Cornerstone Christian Academy came up short against Alexander Christian Academy on Friday, falling 13-3. Cornerstone Christian Academy has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Berek Austin made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI.

Hickory Christian Academy's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-2. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs over those games. As for Cornerstone Christian Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 1-3.