Knights
| 04/29/25 vs Asheville Christian Academy | 1 |
| 04/25/25 vs Salem Baptist Christian | 13 |
| 04/22/25 vs Ambassador Christian School | 4 |
| 04/17/25 @ Asheville T | 2 |
| 04/16/25 vs Varsity Opponent | 9 |
| + 11 more games |
The Hickory Christian Academy Knights will head out to square off against the Statesville Christian Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hickory Christian Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.2 runs per game this season.
Hickory Christian Academy is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 13 runs on Friday, they were much more limited against Asheville Christian Academy on Tuesday. They came up short against the Lions, falling 10-1. The Knights haven't had much luck with the Lions recently, as the team has come up short the last six times they've met.
Hickory Christian Academy saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jared Zientek, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Statesville Christian was able to grind out a solid win over Friendship Christian on Friday, taking the game 6-2.
Stephen Nielsen was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out ten over six innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Statesville Christian is 5-2 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 2-4 otherwise. Nielsen was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run.
In other batting news, Jeremy Todd was incredible, going 2-for-3 with four stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Elijah Super, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Statesville Christian has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Hickory Christian Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hickory Christian Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Statesville Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Hickory Christian Academy took their win against Statesville Christian in their previous matchup back in April by a conclusive 13-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
