The East Wake Academy Eagles will head out to challenge the Wake Prep Academy Guardians at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. East Wake Academy's pitching crew has only allowed 3.2 runs per game this season, so Wake Prep Academy's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
East Wake Academy's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 12-0 margin over NCSSM: Durham. The Eagles haven't had any issues with the Unicorns recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Lane Collier made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Collier was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Those two hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Robbie Johnston was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Dylan Palmer was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
East Wake Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .516. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as NCSSM: Durham only posted an OBP of .333.
Meanwhile, Wake Prep Academy came up short against Franklin Academy on Thursday, falling 12-6. The Guardians have struggled against the Patriots recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.
Landon Latta was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Ethan Hernandez, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
East Wake Academy pushed their record up to 10-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Wake Prep Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. East Wake Academy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Wake Prep Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
East Wake Academy took their victory against Wake Prep Academy in their previous matchup two weeks ago by a conclusive 12-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eagles since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
