The Winston Academy Patriots will venture away from home to square off against the Benton Academy Raiders at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Winston Academy has three straight wins, Benton Academy has 11 straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Friday, Winston Academy beat Winona Christian 4-1.
Jayson McMillin made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed seven innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-4. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jonah Hood, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run.
Meanwhile, Benton Academy fell victim to Briarfield Academy and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They lost 10-0 to the Rebels. The game marked the first time this year in which the Raiders were not able to get on the board.
Xander Tiller made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with one home run and three RBI. Jaxson Rich was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-2.
Winston Academy pushed their record up to 12-6 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Benton Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-9.
Winston Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over Benton Academy in their previous meeting back in February, winning 6-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Winston Academy since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
