The Burlington Christian Academy Royals will venture away from home to square off against the Thales Academy Rolesville Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Burlington Christian Academy is coming into the contest hot, having won their last 11 games.
Burlington Christian Academy lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Trinity of Durham and Chapel Hill, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Monday's game. The Royals put the hurt on the Lion with a sharp 12-1 victory on Monday. The result was nothing new for the Royals, who have now won 11 matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Cooper Kelly made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over six innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, Burlington Christian Academy got a massive performance out of Lofton Gonzalez, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most hits Gonzalez has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Cohen Payne, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Burlington Christian Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Trinity of Durham and Chapel Hill only posted an OBP of .292.
Meanwhile, Thales Academy Rolesville had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Wednesday. They came out on top against the Guardians by a score of 6-3.
Like Burlington Christian Academy, Thales Academy Rolesville also got a great game from a two-way player: Evan Clark. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off eight hits (and not a single walk). Clark was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Cooper Nash was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. He has become a key player for Thales Academy Rolesville: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-5 otherwise. Chase Davidson was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run.
Burlington Christian Academy's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 19-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Thales Academy Rolesville, their record now sits at 10-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Burlington Christian Academy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Thales Academy Rolesville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
