Baseball Game Preview: Elkin Buckin' Elks vs. North Iredell Raiders

The Elkin Buckin' Elks will head out to square off against the North Iredell Raiders at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Elkin has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with seven straight losses, while North Iredell will come in with ten straight victories.

Elkin lost 17-8 to Avery County on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, North Iredell hadn't done well against North Lincoln recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. North Iredell was the clear victor by a 9-3 margin over North Lincoln. While the Raiders didn't have the best season last year (they finished 6-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Thomas Shumaker was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.

North Iredell's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-1. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.2 runs over those games. As for Elkin, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-9.

Elkin couldn't quite get it done against North Iredell in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 as they fell 11-6. Can Elkin avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.