The Temple Christian Crusaders will head out on the road to challenge Faith Christian Academy at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Temple Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8 runs per game this season.
Temple Christian will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Thursday, then bounced right back against Timberlake Christian on Tuesday. Temple Christian blew past Timberlake Christian 17-7. The win continues a trend for the Crusaders in their matchups with the Tornadoes: they've now won six in a row.
Blake Cash
| 03/25/25 vs Timberlake Christian | 3 |
| 03/13/25 vs Westover Christian Academy | 2 |
| 05/11/24 vs Christian Heritage Academy | 2 |
| 05/06/24 vs Timberlake Christian | 1 |
| 04/15/24 @ Westover Christian Academy | 1 |
Blake Cash was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off seven hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (three).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Silas Walker, who went 3-for-5 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. He has been hot recently, having also posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played. Luke Gifford was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Temple Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .615. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Timberlake Christian only posted an OBP of .444.
Meanwhile, Monday just wasn't the day for Faith Christian Academy's offense. They lost 24-0 to Regents on Monday. Faith Christian Academy has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Faith Christian Academy saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Andrew Ploetner, who went 1-for-2 with one double.
Temple Christian's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 3-2. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Faith Christian Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Temple Christian has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Faith Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Temple Christian's way against Faith Christian Academy when the teams last played last Tuesday, as Temple Christian made off with a 14-4 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Temple Christian since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
