The Shorecrest Prep Chargers will challenge the Evangelical Christian Sentinels at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Shorecrest Prep sitting on five straight victories and Evangelical Christian on eight.
Shorecrest Prep is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Neumann get on the board and left with a 2-0 win. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Chargers have posted since April 15th.
The result came thanks to Samantha Beltran's shutout, as she gave up just six hits and racked up 11 Ks.
On the hitting side, Shorecrest Prep saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Madi Bidwell, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Evangelical Christian came out on top against Southwest Florida Christian on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run fifth inning. The Sentinels blew past the King's 11-1. The Sentinels might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 18 matches by six runs or more this season.
Evangelical Christian also got a great performance from Hayden Billie as she struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and not a single walk). Billie has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Keaunna Green was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in February. Payton Billie was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Evangelical Christian kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in eight consecutive contests.
Shorecrest Prep pushed their record up to 16-6 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Evangelical Christian, their win bumped their record up to 25-3.
Both Shorecrest Prep and Evangelical Christian just can't seem to miss. The Chargers have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.8 hits per game. However, it's not like Evangelical Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.5 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Shorecrest Prep might still be hurting after the 16-0 loss they got from Evangelical Christian when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Can the Chargers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
