The Keswick Christian Crusaders will head out on the road to take on the Pinellas Park Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the pair posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Keswick Christian scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Grace Christian a 15-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for Keswick Christian, who have now won six contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Ephram Lockwood and Ryan Deorsey made a splash while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Lockwood tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Deorsey pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks). At bat, Lockwood scored a run while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances, while Deorsey scored a run while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Blake Lightfield was a standout: he scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Wilfredo Soto, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Pinellas Park got the win against Bell Creek Academy on Thursday by a conclusive 11-0. That 11 run margin sets a new team best for Pinellas Park this season.
Pinellas Park also got a great performance from Jack Inman as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Inman has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Pinellas Park let Colby Redding and Xinh Nguyen loose on the outfield. Redding scored a run while going 2-for-2, while Nguyen scored three runs while going 2-for-2. Destin Kuitunen was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 1-for-1.
Keswick Christian now has a winning record of 8-7. As for Pinellas Park, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Keswick Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pinellas Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.1. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Keswick Christian came out on top in a nail-biter against Pinellas Park when the teams last played back in March of 2023, sneaking past 1-0. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Pinellas Park's Madden Clark, who didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Keswick Christian to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
