Shady Side Academy is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Fox Chapel is on a seven-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Bulldogs will welcome the Foxes at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
The home team had won the previous five meetings between Shady Side Academy and Burrell, and Shady Side Academy kept the tradition alive. The Bulldogs sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 win over the Bucs on Monday. The Bulldogs haven't had any issues with the Bucs recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Soren Cooper
| 04/22/25 @ Steel Valley | 4 |
| 04/15/25 @ Avonworth | 4 |
| 04/09/25 vs South Park | 4 |
| 05/05/25 vs Burrell | 1 |
| 04/28/25 @ East Allegheny | 1 |
| + 1 more games |
Soren Cooper spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on one hit and racked up six Ks. He is becoming a predictor of Shady Side Academy's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 3-1 (and 4-11 when he doesn't).
Meanwhile, Fox Chapel beat Kiski Area 6-1 on Thursday.
Joey Geller was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kris Bandurski, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Franco Pistella was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Fox Chapel was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Kiski Area only posted a batting average of .185.
Fox Chapel has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Shady Side Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 7-12.
Shady Side Academy came up short against Fox Chapel when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 4-1. Will the Bulldogs have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
