Kansas City East Christian Academy is 0-5 against Veritas Christian since April of 2015 but things could change on Thursday. The Lions will host the Eagles at 4:30 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Kansas City East Christian Academy was handed a seven-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out St. Mary's Academy 5-4. While the Lions didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-12), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Aidon Carpenter spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on ten hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Nolan Peterson, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaycob Mieir, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Veritas Christian). They were the clear victors by a 16-9 margin over Sunrise Christian Academy on Tuesday. The win was nothing new for the Eagles as they're now sitting on three straight.
Shaphan Ming made a big impact no matter where he played. He struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, James Lee was incredible, going 3-for-6 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs. Those six RBI gave him a new career-high. Cale Whitaker was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Veritas Christian hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in three consecutive contests.
Veritas Christian's victory bumped their record up to 9-3. As for Kansas City East Christian Academy, their win bumped their record up to 8-4.
