The Canterbury Crusaders will face off against the Saint Stephen's Episcopal Falcons at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Canterbury's favor as the team sits on four straight wins at home while Saint Stephen's Episcopal has been banged up by nine consecutive losses on the road dating back to last season.
Canterbury blew Oasis Christian out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Tuesday Oasis Christian got their revenge. Canterbury fell just short of Oasis Christian by a score of 3-1. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Crusaders couldn't push the score so high this time.
Gabriel Blaxberg put in work while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out nine over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
Blaxberg wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Brooks Merrill, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Saint Stephen's Episcopal had just enough and edged out Admiral Farragut 7-5 on Tuesday.
The team relied heavily on Apollo Rumpel, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Jackson McLeod was another, going 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Canterbury's defeat dropped their record down to 6-3. As for Saint Stephen's Episcopal, their victory bumped their record up to 6-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Canterbury has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Saint Stephen's Episcopal struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Canterbury suffered a grim 11-2 defeat to Saint Stephen's Episcopal when the teams last played back in April of 2022. Will Canterbury have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
