The Grace Christian Warriors will face off against the Grant Cougars at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Grace Christian is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering North DeSoto just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Friday. They came up short against the Griffins, falling 6-0. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Warriors' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Grace Christian saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Wynnlee Vincent, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Grant was able to grind out a solid victory over Natchitoches Central on Friday, taking the game 8-4.
Peyton Kirtland made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She tossed seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. Kirtland was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. That stolen base was her first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Carleigh Roe, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Audeleigh Carpenter was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Grant was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .379. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Natchitoches Central only posted a batting average of .172.
Grace Christian's loss dropped their record down to 9-6. As for Grant, their win bumped their record up to 10-7.
Grant's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Saturday. Grace Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Grant, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1 strikeouts. Will Grace Christian keep running through batters, or will Grant buck the trend?
Grace Christian came out on top in a nail-biter against Grant in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. Will Grace Christian repeat their success, or does Grant has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
