Greater Beckley Christian is 0-4 against Shady Spring since May of 2021 but things could change on Tuesday. The Crusaders will square off against the Tigers at 3:30 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Greater Beckley Christian had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 15-run drubbing they dealt Montcalm on Monday. The Crusaders blew past the Generals 16-1. The game marked the Crusaders' most dominant win of the season.
Kellan Heffernan
| 04/19/25 vs WestSide | 7 |
| 04/28/25 @ Elk Valley Christian | 3 |
| 04/18/25 vs Summit Christian Academy | 2 |
| 05/05/25 vs Montcalm | 1 |
Kellan Heffernan made a splash while hitting and pitching. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has become a key player for Greater Beckley Christian: the team is undefeated when he allows at most three hits, but 7-8 otherwise. Heffernan was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Greater Beckley Christian got a massive performance out of Paul Fox, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and three doubles. Those three doubles gave Fox a new career-high. Kaden Bolen was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI.
Greater Beckley Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .656. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Shady Spring took on PikeView on Monday. The Tigers never let the Panthers get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten contests by six runs or more this season.
Like Greater Beckley Christian, Shady Spring also got a great game from a two-way player: Sam Barnett. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits over five innings pitched. Barnett has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Noah Fox, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Aiden Calvert, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Shady Spring is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 15 matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 16-10-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.1 runs over those games. As for Greater Beckley Christian, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 10-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Greater Beckley Christian has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Shady Spring struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Greater Beckley Christian suffered a grim 13-5 defeat to Shady Spring in their previous matchup back in March of 2023. Can the Crusaders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
