The Resurrection Christian Cougars will challenge the Montezuma-Cortez Panthers at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. Resurrection Christian's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Montezuma-Cortez's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Resurrection Christian is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They were the clear victors by a 7-1 margin over The Classical Academy. Considering the Cougars have won 11 matchups by more than five runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Graham Riggs tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out nine over six innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Resurrection Christian let Brayden MacAlmon and Maddox Sessions run wild. MacAlmon went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run, while Sessions went 1-for-2 with three runs. That's the most RBI MacAlmon has posted since back in April.
Resurrection Christian hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as The Classical Academy struck out nine times.
Nine must be Montezuma-Cortez's lucky number: they beat Eaton with that score not once but twice on Saturday. The Panthers came out on top against the Reds by a score of 9-5. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Panthers.
Jaris McDonald made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. McDonald was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Darren Daves was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with two runs and one double. Michael Krupa was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
Resurrection Christian has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-9 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Montezuma-Cortez, their record now sits at 23-5.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Resurrection Christian has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .451. However, it's not like Montezuma-Cortez struggles in that department as they've averaged .487. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Resurrection Christian skirted past Montezuma-Cortez 1-0 in their previous meeting on Friday. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
