The Brookwood Warriors will head out on the road to square off against the Wakulla Christian School Saints at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Brookwood was handed a ten-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-4 victory over Southwest Georgia Academy. The game was the first time Brookwood has beaten Southwest Georgia Academy on their field since March 9, 2021.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last game, Wakulla Christian School made sure to put some runs up on the board against Crossroad Academy on Tuesday. The Saints put the hurt on the Scorpions with a sharp 13-3 win. The Saints might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matches by six runs or more this season.
Christopher Raker and Kory Paynter were a major factor no matter where they played. Throwing, Raker pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Paynter struck out six batters over 2.2 innings while giving up just one earned run but no hits (and not a single walk). Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. At bat, Raker scored a run while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances, while Paynter scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Paynter is becoming a predictor of Wakulla Christian School's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 5-8 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Jackson Lawhon was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, three doubles, and three RBI. He also scored two runs, which is notable because Wakulla Christian School is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 3-8 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Billy Starling, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Wakulla Christian School always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .658. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Wakulla Christian School is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Brookwood, their record now sits at 6-12.
Brookwood took their win against Wakulla Christian School in their previous matchup back in February by a conclusive 11-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
