Baseball Game Preview: King Academy Knights vs. Wardlaw Academy Patriots

The King Academy Knights will face off against the Wardlaw Academy Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. King Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8 runs per game this season.

King Academy took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They blew past Ridge Spring-Monetta 19-4. The Knights have beaten the Trojans the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Trojans has come to flipping the script.

Casen Buzhardt

Runs

04/14/25 vs Ridge Spring-Monetta	3
03/25/25 vs Newberry Academy	2
03/18/25 @ Richard Winn Academy	2
03/12/25 @ Ridge Spring-Monetta	2
04/04/25 @ Laurens Academy	1
+ 3 more games

King Academy got a massive performance out of Casen Buzhardt, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. Buzhardt is becoming a predictor of the Knights' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 3-1 (and 3-4 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Elijah Hutto, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

King Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .765. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, Monday just wasn't the day for Wardlaw Academy's offense. They came up short against Greenwood Christian on Monday, falling 15-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Patriots have suffered against the Hawks since April 13, 2015.

King Academy's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-5. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.0 runs over those games. As for Wardlaw Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 3-10.

Everything went King Academy's way against Wardlaw Academy in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as King Academy made off with a 16-9 win. Will the Knights repeat their success, or do the Patriots have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.