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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

OPELIKA – The Evangel Christian Lightning are rolling as they defend their Alabama Christian Schools Conference championship from a year ago, and they are well on their way to winning the state crown again after a dominant start to the year.

Evangel defeated the Southern Christian Patriots 10-4 on the road on Friday, March 21 to extend its win streak to eight games in a row and improve to 17-1 on the 2025 season.

The Lightning started the year on a tear with nine wins in a row to begin the season. That run included a pair of one-run wins against Hope Christian and Macon-East Montgomery Academy and tournament victories over Bessemer Academy and reigning AISA Class A semifinalist Coosa Valley.

After a win over Chambers Academy, Evangel took its first loss of the year in a 4-2 defeat to Georgia’s St. Anne-Pacelli, but it bounced back the next day to start a new streak by beating Georgia’s Bethlehem Christian 7-4 on March 8.

From there, the Lightning carried over their hot streak into conference play, winning their first four conference games against East Central HomeSchool, Wiregrass, Ezekiel and Tuscaloosa Home Educators.

Evangel would then defeat Heritage Christian for the second time this season ahead of the final game of the first half of conference play against Southern Christian.

Asher Evans was dominant on the mound early, overcoming a pair of first-inning errors to strike out the side on just 12 pitches in the second inning.

That gave Evangel some defensive momentum that it took into a big offensive third inning.

After the first two batters of the inning reached on a dropped third strike and a single, Will Welch and Trey Hope came home off a pair of wild pitches in the same at-bat.

A single and a walk gave the Lightning a chance to add to that 2-0 lead, and Evans capitalized to provide his own run support with an RBI single. Just one pitch later, Kemp Swords cleared the bases with a two-run single for the 5-0 lead.

While the next two batters struck out, Evangel rallied once more when faced with the two-out hole. KC Gables hit an RBI single to keep the inning alive for Welch, who on the very next pitch ripped a double to left to extend the lead to 7-0 ahead of the end of the inning.

Evans struck out the side once again in the bottom of the third inning to set up more success at the plate in the top of the fourth.

While the initial Lightning runner of the inning got out at home, a Raley Curtis single, a Zachary Grossman walk and stolen bases from both set up Evans to plate a run off a sacrifice fly for the 8-0 lead.

Evangel went right back to work in the top of the fifth, using a Carter Norris lead-off walk to secure a one-out RBI triple off the bat of Aiden Venable. Welch then drove him home off an RBI single to make it a 10-0 game heading into the bottom of the fifth.

Facing a potential run-rule loss and a new Lightning pitcher, Southern Christian got runners to reach on three of the first four at-bats thanks to two singles and a hit by pitch. A pair of passed balls put the Patriots on the scoreboard and sparked a rally.

Southern Christian got another run on the board during the ensuing at-bat off an RBI single before an error allowed the hosts to cut the deficit to 10-4.

However, Evangel got out of the inning with a strikeout and kept the Patriots scoreless the rest of the way to finish off the six-run victory.

Curtis finished 2-for-3 with two runs while Hope and Welch each went 2-for-4 with Welch earning two RBI and a run and Hope securing a run. Evans and Swords each finished with two RBI on the day.

Evans earned nine strikeouts across four hitless innings, surrendering just one walk during his start. Max Watson, Garrett Jones and Gables each finished with two strikeouts across an inning of work apiece.

Evangel will return home to face Hope Christian for a doubleheader on Thursday, March 27 with the first game starting at 4:30 p.m. at the Evangel Sports Complex.