The Grace Christian Crusaders will take on the Burlington Christian Academy Royals at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Grace Christian 1.8, Burlington Christian Academy 2.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Saturday, Grace Christian beat Highland 6-3.
Luke Roupe made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over seven innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Matt Murchison and Caleb Ellis did most of the damage at the plate: Murchison scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3, while Ellis went 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI Ellis has posted since back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Burlington Christian Academy put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They never let Statesville Christian get on the board and left with a 12-0 win. Considering the Royals have won five games by more than nine runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Grace Christian, Burlington Christian Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Gib Wirt. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over four innings pitched. Wirt was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season.
In other batting news, Cooper Kelly was a standout: he went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one double. That triple was his first of the season. Mark Primm was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
Burlington Christian Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .424. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .345 or higher in seven consecutive matches.
Burlington Christian Academy pushed their record up to 8-0 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road. As for Grace Christian, their win bumped their record up to 7-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Grace Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 12.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Burlington Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Grace Christian's way against Burlington Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, as Grace Christian made off with a 7-0 victory. Does Grace Christian have another victory up their sleeve, or will Burlington Christian Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
