PCA update: Raiders contend for conference titles
Published 3:30 pm Tuesday, April 11, 2023
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Tuesday, the Pungo Christian Academy baseball and golf teams traveled to Northeast Academy for conference matchups, while softball journeyed to Faith Christian for a non-conference contest.
On the diamond, In baseball, the Raiders wiped out a 3 – 1 deficit into the top of the third before the Raider bats came alive for 13 runs in the last four innings for a 14-5 victory. Evan Woolard had a big day at the plate, going 3 – 5 with a home run and 5 RBI. Carr Eagles went 3 – 4 with 2 RBI. McKinney Waters and Austin Garrish each had two hits and an RBI. Jackson Walker and Parker Byrd each picked up a hit and an RBI, with Walker knocking in two. Walker earned the pitching win with four earned runs on three hits with five strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
The Lady Raiders used a steady offensive attack and solid defense to shut out Faith Christian, 12-0. Emma Hanna, Reagan Stoop, Melanie Rutledge, and Reese Blackmon all recorded multiple hits in the game.
Ashley Williford, Emma Hanna and Reese Blackmon made several nice plays in the outfield, including Williford throwing a runner out at home to preserve the shutout. Stoop went five innings, striking out six while her sister Anna Stoop finished the game with a scoreless sixth inning.
On the golf course, Sam Warren and Cooper Evans shot 45 while Davis Lee shot a47 to put the Raiders in third place on Tuesday’s conference match at Valley Pine Country Club in Lasker. Jay Askew (61) and Grant Gibbs (63) also competed for the Raiders. PCA will travel to Beechwood Country Club in Ahoskie next week for their final regular season match of the season.
Wednesday, the soccer team hosted Ridgecroft School in a pivotal conference matchup. PCA’s Katie Baxter scored off a corner kick to make it 1 – 0, then scored twice more for a 3 – 0 halftime lead. It was her first hat trick of the season. Baxter would find the back of the net yet again the second, for her school record tying fourth goal of the game. The Rams had no answer and PCA prevailed, 4 – 0, extending their winning streak over conference opponents to 14 dating back to last season.
Julia Rouse picked up an assist on one of Baxter’s goals while keeper Autumn Gibbs notched her third shutout of the season. The team is currently 4 – 0 in conference play and 6 – 2 – 1 overall.
Thursday, the baseball and softball teams traveled to Albemarle School in their final contest before spring break. The baseball Raiders scored 15 unanswered runs after a 1-1 tie to take home a 16 – 3 win. Woolard led the Raiders again at the plate, going 2 – 3 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI. Waters had a hit and knocked in two runs. Conner Sweet, Jay Askew, Bo Spencer, Austin Garrish and Marshall Ricks all picked up hits for PCA. Woolard was dominant on the mound, throwing a complete game one hitter with eight strikeouts. The Raiders are currently 4 – 0 in conference play and 8 – 3 overall. They will face Lawrence Academy next week in a series that will likely determine the TIC regular season champion as the Warriors are also undefeated in conference play.
In softball, the Raiders didn’t wait until the 5th inning to get things going and were able to take home a 7 – 1 victory over the Colts, securing a top two seed in the upcoming TIC Tournament. Emma Hanna, Reagan Stoop, Melanie Rutledge, Ella Kate Hanna, Ginny Pugh, and Allison Sawyer all had hits in the game. Stoop and Emma Hanna had triples. Melanie Rutledge had a double. Allison Sawyer had two singles. Stoop struck out 11 and gave up four hits on the mound, picking up her 10th win of the season. The Raiders are currently undefeated when Stoop starts on the mound and have rattled off 10 consecutive victories headed into Easter Break. PCA will face a tough Lawrence Academy team next week in a series that will determine the TIC regular season champion.