Charlotte Christian has won five straight games at home, while Charlotte Latin has won five straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. The Knights will welcome the Hawks at 7:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Charlotte Christian 2.6, Charlotte Latin 3.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Charlotte Christian is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: A.C. Flora, who was ranked 14th in their home state at the time (Charlotte Christian was ranked fourth). The Knights blew past the Falcons 11-4 on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Knights, who have now won nine matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Ivan Andino
| 04/23/25 vs A.C. Flora | 2 |
| 04/22/25 @ Charlotte Latin | 1 |
| 04/15/25 @ South Mecklenburg | 1 |
| 02/27/25 vs Ysleta | 1 |
Ivan Andino was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in eight consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high.
In other pitching news, Russ Berger looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Drew Darling was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Owen Farrell, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Charlotte Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .444. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Latin unfortunately witnessed the end of their 14-game winning streak on Tuesday. They lost 6-0 to Charlotte Christian. The shutout was out of character for the Hawks seeing as the last time the team failed to score was back in February.
Charlotte Christian has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 15 of their last 16 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 23-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Charlotte Latin, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 6-1 and their overall record down to 16-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Charlotte Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Charlotte Latin struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Charlotte Christian's way against Charlotte Latin when the teams last played on Tuesday, as Charlotte Christian made off with a 6-0 victory. Will the Knights repeat their success, or do the Hawks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
