The Westminster Christian Academy Lions will head out to square off against the Briarwood Academy Buccaneers at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Westminster Christian Academy had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Peachtree Academy on Monday. The Lions were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over the Panthers. Considering the Lions have won six games by more than six runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Cole Grantham spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on three hits.
At the plate, David Norris and Dailey Orr did most of the damage at the plate: Norris scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3, while Orr scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. That's the most hits Norris has posted since back in February. Walker Allen was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Briarwood Academy came tearing into Monday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.6 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with an 8-3 victory over the Panthers.
Carson Chalker made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 2-for-4. He has become a key player for Briarwood Academy: the team is 7-2 when he posts at least two runs, but 2-6 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sawyer Thigpen, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. He is becoming a predictor of Briarwood Academy's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-2 (and 4-6 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Carson Callaway, who went 1-for-4 with four RBI.
Briarwood Academy pushed their record up to 9-8 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for Westminster Christian Academy, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-9 record this season.
