The Harvest Christian Academy Saints will square off against the St. Paul's Prep Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Harvest Christian Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Coram Deo Academy Rhetoric a 15-0 shutout. The win was nothing new for the Saints as they're now sitting on eight straight.
Elijah Mann was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March. Peyton Ellison was another key player, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Harvest Christian Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .409. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .400 or higher in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, St. Paul's Prep came out on top against Trinity Christian Academy on Tuesday by a score of 13-3 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game).
Mateo Talavera made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of St. Paul's Prep's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 6-1 (and 2-4 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Miguel Rios, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. St. Paul's Prep is undefeated when Rios posts two or more runs, but 3-5 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Lukas DiBenedetto, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, two RBI, and one double.
Harvest Christian Academy's victory was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-2. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for St. Paul's Prep, their record now sits at 8-5.
Monday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Harvest Christian Academy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .521. However, it's not like St. Paul's Prep struggles in that department as they've averaged .486. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Harvest Christian Academy took their victory against St. Paul's Prep in their previous matchup last Thursday by a conclusive 13-3 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Saints since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
