The North Raleigh Christian Academy Knights will face off against the Grace Christian Crusaders at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. North Raleigh Christian Academy is coming into the contest hot, having won their last five games.
North Raleigh Christian Academy barely beat Raleigh HomeSchool the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Knights were the clear victors by a 10-1 margin over the Hawks on Tuesday. Considering the Knights have won seven matchups by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Kai Patton made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. What's more, he posted two strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.

Trent Baker
04/29/25 vs Raleigh HomeSchool | 5 |
04/05/25 vs East Wake | 2 |
03/28/25 vs J.H. Rose | 1 |
03/27/25 @ Ravenscroft | 1 |
05/03/24 vs Varsity Opponent | 1 |
Patton wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Trent Baker, who went 2-for-3 with five stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Those five stolen bases gave Baker a new career-high. Jackson Tysor was another, going 2-for-3 with one run.
Meanwhile, Grace Christian never let their opponents score on Monday. They walked away with a 4-0 victory over John Paul II Catholic. The Crusaders haven't had any issues with the Saints recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
North Raleigh Christian Academy's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-5. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.2 runs over those games. As for Grace Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 17-7.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. North Raleigh Christian Academy hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like Grace Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.