Baseball Game Preview: Watauga Pioneers vs. Freedom Patriots

The Watauga Pioneers will head out on the road to square off against the Freedom Patriots at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The last three games Watauga has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

While Watauga's win against Hibriten wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Watauga skirted past Hibriten 3-1. The Pioneers haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.

Everett Gryder

Earned Runs

02/26/25 @ West Forsyth	5
03/11/25 vs Mooresville	4
03/18/25 @ South Caldwell	2
03/25/25 vs Hibriten	1

Everett Gryder spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up seven Ks. Watauga is 2-1 when Gryder allowstwo or fewer earned runs, but 2-6 otherwise.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Evan Burroughs, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of JT Cook, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.

Meanwhile, Freedom lost a heartbreaker to Ashe County when they met back in April of 2024, and they left with a heavy heart again on Tuesday. Freedom took a 7-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of Ashe County. The defeat continues a trend for the Patriots in their meetings with the Huskies: they've now lost seven in a row.

Watauga's win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 4-7. As for Freedom, their loss dropped their record down to 6-6.

Watauga took their victory against Freedom in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 11-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Watauga since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.