The Pinecrest Academy Paladins will head out on the road to take on the Scholars Guild Academy Spartans at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Pinecrest Academy sitting on three straight victories and Scholars Guild Academy on four.
Pinecrest Academy's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 10-0 margin over Cornerstone Prep Academy.
Ben Nadler made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Nadler has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. Nadler was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two triples, four RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chris Calupca, who scored a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Will Sauter, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Scholars Guild Academy put the finishing touches on their tenth blowout victory of the season on Saturday. Everything went their way against Creekside Christian Academy as Scholars Guild Academy made off with a 14-7 win. Scholars Guild Academy's victory was all the more impressive since Creekside Christian Academy was averaging only 3.36 runs allowed on the season.
Like Pinecrest Academy, Scholars Guild Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Eli McIlvain. Throwing, McIlvain tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Samuel Autry pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. At the plate, McIlvain scored a run while going 2-for-4, while Autry scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Henry Rumble was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 4-for-4. Ty Newton was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
Pinecrest Academy's win ended a five-game drought at home and bumped them up to 7-8. As for Scholars Guild Academy, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 13 contests, which provided a massive bump to their 15-6 record this season.
Monday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Pinecrest Academy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .440. However, it's not like Scholars Guild Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .491. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Pinecrest Academy might still be hurting after the 13-3 loss they got from Scholars Guild Academy when the teams last played back in March. Can Pinecrest Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
