The Pinnacle Classical Academy Eagles will venture away from home to challenge the Bessemer City Yellow Jackets at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Pinnacle Classical Academy's pitching crew has only allowed 3.3 runs per game this season, so Bessemer City's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Pinnacle Classical Academy is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Community Christian Academy just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 6-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Warriors.
Pinnacle Classical Academy saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jake McNeily, who went 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI. Caleb Yates also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Bessemer City never got on the board in their matchup on Friday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Piedmont Community Charter on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 12-1 margin over the Patriots. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Yellow Jackets' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Cooper Hayes was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one double, and one RBI. Those two hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jailynn Newton, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
Bessemer City always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .588. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Bessemer City's victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-8. As for Pinnacle Classical Academy, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 5-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Pinnacle Classical Academy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Bessemer City struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Pinnacle Classical Academy skirted past Bessemer City 10-8 in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Yellow Jackets have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
