The TEACH Homeschool Beach Breakers will head out on the road to challenge the Southampton Academy Raiders at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While TEACH Homeschool's win against Norfolk Christian wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Beach Breakers came out on top against the Ambassadors on Thursday by a score of 3-2 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). The victory continues a trend for the Beach Breakers in their matchups with the Ambassadors: they've now won five in a row.
The team relied heavily on Thomas Bianco, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Aiden Arbogast, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Southampton Academy waltzed into their game on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They were the clear victors by a 19-4 margin over the Falcons. Considering the Raiders have won five contests by more than 12 runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Landon Cushing made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 4-for-5 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Ethan Webb and Ayden Darden did most of the damage at the plate: Webb got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, two RBI, and one double, while Darden got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Webb is becoming a predictor of Southampton Academy's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-5 when he doesn't). Tyler Jarratt was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Southampton Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in three consecutive matchups.
Southampton Academy pushed their record up to 11-5 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for TEACH Homeschool, their record now sits at 6-11.
TEACH Homeschool came out on top in a nail-biter against Southampton Academy in their previous matchup on April 1st, sneaking past 5-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Beach Breakers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
