The Aletheia Christian Academy Lions will face off against the West Florida Baptist Academy Conquerors at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Aletheia Christian Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.4 runs per game this season.
On Thursday, Aletheia Christian Academy didn't have quite enough to beat Snook Christian Academy and fell 7-6.
Brady Carlson put in work while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single hit in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing three bases.
In other batting news, Tanner Brock was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Noah Wheeler, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, West Florida Baptist Academy got themselves on the board against Gulf Pointe Latin on Tuesday, but Gulf Pointe Latin never followed suit. They were the clear victors by a 19-0 margin over the Gladiators. The Conquerors haven't had any issues with the Gladiators recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.
Like Aletheia Christian Academy, West Florida Baptist Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Cruz Duncan. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Those seven strikeouts gave Duncan a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3. West Florida Baptist Academy is 2-1 when Duncan posts two or more runs, but 3-8 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Landon Lombardo, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Those hits were his first of the season. Caydence Ellis was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
West Florida Baptist Academy hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Gulf Pointe Latin struck out nine times.
West Florida Baptist Academy's victory bumped their record up to 5-9. As for Aletheia Christian Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-4-1.
Aletheia Christian Academy beat West Florida Baptist Academy 12-7 when the teams last played back in March. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Conquerors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
