Crusaders With 2 Wins

It was a demanding week on the diamond for the Robert Toombs Christian Academy Crusaders baseball team, who walked away with a pair of hard-fought victories over three matchups. After splitting a Wednesday doubleheader on the road against the Savannah Athletic Association Jaguars, the Crusaders returned home Friday to comfortably handle the Mount de Sales Cavaliers. vs. Savannah Ath. Assn. Game 1 The first game of Wednesday's doubleheader didn't go the Crusaders' way, ending in an 11-2 loss. Savannah managed to manufacture a run in the bottom of the first to take the early advantage. RTCA fought back to tie things up in the top of the third when Blake Durden ripped an RBI double, but the momentum was short-lived.

The Jaguars responded with a four-run surge in the bottom half of the inning and added another run in the fourth to stretch their lead to 6-1. The Crusaders scratched across one more run in the top of the sixth, but a five-run rally from Savannah in the bottom of the frame put the game out of reach.

Game 2

Game two was a different story, showcasing some real grit from the RTCA dugout. Heath Meeks got things moving in the top of the second inning with an RBI single, giving the Crusaders a 1-0 edge. Savannah answered quickly, plating three runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. Refusing to fold, RTCA chipped away with a run in the third and another in the fourth to knot the game at 3-3.

The Jaguars reclaimed the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, putting the pressure right back on the visitors. RTCA delivered in the clutch during the top of the fifth, pushing three runs across the plate courtesy of RBI singles from Brittan Tabor and Hayden Meeks. The pitching and defense held the line from there, securing a tight 6-5 victory to salvage the split. vs. Mount de Sales

Riding that momentum into Friday, the Crusaders hosted Mount de Sales and put together a complete game in a 12-3 win. Tabor was the story of the afternoon, delivering a commanding performance on the mound. He racked up 10 strikeouts to earn the win, keeping the Cavaliers' bats quiet for most of the contest.

The RTCA offense gave Tabor plenty of run support right out of the gate. Hayden Meeks drove in a run in the bottom of the first, and the Crusaders blew the game open in the second. Brody Randall, Tabor, and Tae Franklin all recorded RBI hits, capping a four-run inning that put RTCA comfortably ahead 5- 0.

Mount de Sales managed to get a run across in the top of the fourth, but RTCA immediately matched it in the bottom half. The Cavaliers pushed two more runs across in the top of the sixth, threatening to close the gap, but the Crusaders put the game entirely to bed with a massive sixrun response in the bottom of the inning. Heath Meeks, Seth Holton, Randall, and Tabor all drove in runs to seal the 12-3 decision.

The pair of wins moves RTCA to 5-8 overall on the season, but more importantly, keeps them a flawless 3-0 in region play. The Crusaders had just one game on the docket this week, facing the Savannah Athletic Association again on Monday after presstime. Looking ahead, RTCA gets back into the thick of region action next week with an important series against Citizens Christian.