The White Station Spartans will square off against the Harding Academy Lions at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. White Station is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.2 runs per game this season.
White Station's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 16-0 margin over Kingsbury. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Spartans as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Benjamin Mendez made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Mendez was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, White Station got a massive performance out of Hayes Bennett, who scored three runs and stole four bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. That's the most runs Bennett has posted since back in March. Julian Haddad was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-2.
White Station was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .467. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Kingsbury only posted a batting average of .000.
Meanwhile, Harding Academy was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their seventh straight defeat. They lost 17-6 to Lausanne Collegiate.
Harding Academy saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Andres Ortiz, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Another was Jack Cubbins, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Harding Academy's loss dropped their record down to 1-7. As for White Station, their victory bumped their record up to 11-6.
Harding Academy's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: White Station hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .336. It's a different story for Harding Academy, though, as they've only averaged .245. Will they be able to contain White Station's hitters?
White Station took their win against Harding Academy when the teams last played back in April of 2022 by a conclusive 10-1 score. Will the Spartans repeat their success, or do the Lions have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
