The Traverse City Christian Sabres will square off against the Harbor Light Christian Swordsmen at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Traverse City Christian is headed into the matchup having just posted their closest win since May 10, 2024 on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Buckley, sneaking past 11-10. The Sabres haven't had any issues with the Bears recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.
Kellen Manthei was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed 2.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off one hit. Manthei was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Isaiah Willis
| 05/08/25 vs Buckley | 3 |
| 04/10/25 vs Suttons Bay | 3 |
| 05/08/25 vs Buckley | 2 |
| 04/28/25 @ Marion | 2 |
| 04/24/25 vs Glen Lake | 1 |
| + 1 more games |
In other batting news, Traverse City Christian got a big performance out of Isaiah Willis, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. The Sabres are undefeated when Willis posts two or more runs, but 1-3 otherwise. Sawyer Apol also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Traverse City Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .538. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Harbor Light Christian came tearing into Saturday's contest with ten straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.2 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Chiefs 12-1. Considering the Swordsmen have won ten games by more than eight runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Porter Jacklitch was excellent, going a perfect 1-for-1 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Travis Rose, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Harbor Light Christian's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-2. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Traverse City Christian, their record is now 5-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Traverse City Christian has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Harbor Light Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Traverse City Christian came up short against Harbor Light Christian in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 8-5. Can the Sabres avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
