The Ezekiel Academy Knights will venture away from home to face off against the Evangel Christian Lightning at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Evangel Christian's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Monday: Ezekiel Academy hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. The Knights' pitchers stepped up to hand Tuscaloosa Home Educators a 12-0 shutout on Thursday. The Knights haven't had any issues with the Warriors recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
The team relied heavily on Addie Newell, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in February. The team also got some help courtesy of Baylee Horn, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Ezekiel Academy hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least two batters in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Evangel Christian made easy work of Coosa Valley Academy on Friday and carried off a 9-2 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Lightning.
Evangel Christian let Jaydin Johnson and Raylee Evans run wild. Johnson went 2-for-3 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run, while Evans scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Lilli Whitfield was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-4.
Ezekiel Academy pushed their record up to 25-6 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.4 runs on average over those games. As for Evangel Christian, their record now sits at 16-8.
Monday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Ezekiel Academy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .443. However, it's not like Evangel Christian struggles in that department as they've averaged .438. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Ezekiel Academy skirted past Evangel Christian 5-3 in their previous meeting back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
