Baseball Game Preview: Maranatha Christian Eagles vs. Classical Academy Caimans

For the second straight game, Maranatha Christian will face off against Classical Academy. The Eagles will be playing in front of their home fans against the Caimans at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Maranatha Christian has four straight victories, Classical Academy has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Maranatha Christian proved they can win big on Friday (they won by eight) and on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged out Classical Academy 6-4.

Shane Piester

Runs

03/20/26 @ Fallbrook	4
05/12/26 @ Classical Academy	2
05/05/26 @ Bishop's	2
04/09/26 @ Scripps Ranch	2
03/25/26 vs Canyon Crest Academy	2
+ 13 more games

Shane Piester was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Maranatha Christian is 6-1 when Piester posts two or more runs, but 9-10 otherwise.

In other batting news, Andrew Browne was excellent, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs and one double. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April.

Maranatha Christian's win bumped their record up to 15-11. As for Classical Academy, they now have a losing record of 12-13.

Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Maranatha Christian 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 Classical Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 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 match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.