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As we prepare for the third annual Commonwealth Classic, we will preview each opening matchup by looking closely at each team in the matchup. 

The Commonwealth Classic will take place on Saturday, April 12, and Monday, April 14, at multiple locations in the Richmond area. Games on the first day of action at each site will be at 10 am and 1 pm at Ironbridge Academy in Chester and the evening games will be at 4 pm and 7 pm at RF&P and Deep Run HS. The morning games are set, but the afternoon games and locations will be determined based on the morning results, with winners playing winners at RF&P. Monday games will be throughout the day, again based on Saturday results, with the Championship Game being at 7 pm at RF&P Park.

By a coinflip in our pre-tournament meeting, ---- will be the home team in this game.

-->>Tournament Details (Schedule, Sites, Gate Info, Etc) <<--

St. Christopher's Saints

 

The Saints are off to a 7-4 start and trending back towards the St. Chris of old. While they do still have some ground to make up, they have the pieces to make that happen, including three standout seniors in Henry Knighton (George Washington), Willie Hurt (Virginia Tech), and Bryce Neely (Virginia). Those three are anchors on the front end of the order, as well as play pivotal roles on the defensive side. Knighton is the workhorse on the mound and, if the rotation holds true, should be in line to get the ball on Saturday. When he is on the mound, they have a chance to beat just about anyone. He works deep into games, doesn't give the opposing team much to create big innings, and is a competitor. On the offensive side the Saints do not seem to have put together many big innings thus far this year, but moreso manufacturing some runs and getting guys in position to score.

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St. Alban's Bulldogs

 

This is the second straight year that the DC based Bulldogs have been in the Commonwealth Classic. Similar to last year, this club has had some ups and downs thus far in the season. They had a tough stretch of games in Florida in the middle of March. St. Alban's played seven games in six days, going 4-3 over that six day gauntlet that virtually any team would have a tough time navigating. Since being back in VA/DC, they have a 2-4 record, but have probably the best win of any team in the area after defeating Miller School on March 29. Myles Upchurch is their guy on the mound, but they seem to have worked hard on establishing some depth behind him, so this environment and schedule should not be a tough task for that staff. The offense, while young in some spots, has shown some flashes. They seem to take advantage of mistakes and free passes, but that is not something that the St. Chris ace tends to hand out.

What To Expect

There is a very good likelihood that St. Alban's will not show their ace, Myles Upchurch, due to some conference games this week, but they do have several pieces behind the Alabama commit that are capable of leading them to a first round victory. Preston Benner and Jacob Romhilt are a pair of names to know on the mound for the Bulldogs, as they may see some time on Saturday. As expected with some up and down results, the offense has struggled at times, especially versus better arms/teams. If Knighton is on the mound for St. Chris, it will make it pretty tough for the St. Alban's offense, but this is an offense that has seen some quality arms, so it should not be a surprise. There are a few young players to lock in on from each side, with the likes of Jack Guerin and George Minjack for St. Alban's and Jaerron Johnson and Gibson Beck for St. Chris. These players have played big roles for their teams early on. We fully expect this to be a low scoring, tight game, if in fact some names like Knighton and Benner/Romhilt throw.