When a pitcher like Charlie Collins ’24 is dealing, it’s the best icebreaker of them all.
The Western Carolina University recruit got better as Thursday night’s game wore on and Christ School’s bats eventually caught up for a 9-0 shutout of visiting Cannon School.
Charlie struck out 10 Cougars, gave up one hit (a hard comebacker to the mound), and issued a pair of walks in five innings.
Meanwhile, the Greenies (1-0) scored all their runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. Leadoff Ethan Rose ’24 was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and catcher Jonathan Reece ’25 hit a three-run double to really get things rolling in the bottom of the fourth.
“Early on, I felt like we were a little tight. Guys were a little nervous, and it’s natural for a first game,” Christ School coach Wes King P’27 said.
“Having a guy like Charlie that you can put on the mound is great. I felt like as long as he continued to go out there and throw up zeroes, I knew with our athleticism that we could put some pressure on them.”
Jacob Wilde ’24 and Will Walker ‘25 came on in relief of Charlie to preserve the shutout. Will entered the game with no outs in the top of the seventh and struck out all three hitters that he faced.
He also had an RBI, as did Riley Shuler ’26 and Corbin Spilliards ’27.
Christ School’s next games are a doubleheader with SouthLake Christian Academy on Saturday at Bob Lewis Ballpark in Candler, N.C. Game times will be noon and 2 p.m.
Fans should note that there will be a $5 admission fee with children getting in free.