The Coastal HomeSchool Hurricanes will challenge the Robert Toombs Christian Academy Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Coastal HomeSchool's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They blew past The Habersham School 10-0. The Hurricanes might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six contests by ten runs or more this season.
Troy DeVoe
| 03/22/25 @ Augusta E | 4 |
| 03/25/25 vs The Habersham School | 3 |
| 03/18/25 vs Step of Faith Christian Academy | 3 |
| 03/08/25 @ Providence Athletic Club | 3 |
| 03/20/25 @ Beaufort Academy | 2 |
| + 7 more games |
Troy DeVoe and Burke Sullivan were a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, DeVoe pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Sullivan didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over 4.1 innings pitched. Those zero hits allowed gave DeVoe a new career-low. At bat, DeVoe scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4, while Sullivan scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2. Coastal HomeSchool is undefeated when DeVoe posts two or more runs, but 1-7 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jace Poppell, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Coastal HomeSchool's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 6-1 (and 4-6 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Carson Little, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Coastal HomeSchool kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.2 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 9.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Robert Toombs Christian Academy). They were the clear victors by a 14-1 margin over First Preparatory Christian Academy on Wednesday. The Crusaders have beaten the Highlanders the last six times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Highlanders has come to flipping the script.
Brittan Tabor made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season.
In other batting news, Gage Brantley was a standout: he went a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Christian Mixon, who scored four runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Coastal HomeSchool has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. The win got Robert Toombs Christian Academy back to even at 3-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Coastal HomeSchool has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Robert Toombs Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Coastal HomeSchool took their victory against Robert Toombs Christian Academy when the teams last played back in April of 2017 by a conclusive 14-1. Does Coastal HomeSchool have another victory up their sleeve, or will Robert Toombs Christian Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
