Baseball Game Preview: Hickory Hawks vs. Great Bridge Wildcats

The Hickory Hawks will face off against the Great Bridge Wildcats at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Hickory's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 6-0 margin over Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. The Hawks haven't had any issues with the Saints recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.

The team relied heavily on Matthew Kemick, who scored a run while going 3-for-3. Ryan Kennedy was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.

Meanwhile, Great Bridge's rock-solid pitchers showed up for the team's third consecutive shutout on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Indian River with a sharp 11-0 victory. That looming 11-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Wildcats yet this season.

Great Bridge's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Hickory, their win bumped their record up to 3-1.

Hickory might still be hurting after the 13-6 defeat they got from Great Bridge in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Hawks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.