Baseball Game Preview: Union Pines Vikings vs. Scotland Fighting Scots

The Union Pines Vikings will square off against the Scotland Fighting Scots at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Union Pines took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They walked away with a 12-8 victory over St. Pauls. With that win, the Vikings brought their scoring average up to 6.8 runs per game.

Dylan Benedict made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing Two bases. while going 1-for-4.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brodie Lyczkowski, who went 2-for-4 with six RBI and one double. That double was his first of the season. David Park was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.

Union Pines always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .553. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Scotland got the win against Sanderson on Saturday by a conclusive 12-4. The game marked the Fighting Scots' most dominant victory of the season so far.

The win got Union Pines back to even at 3-3. As for Scotland, their victory bumped their record up to 5-3.

Union Pines skirted past Scotland 6-5 in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Will Union Pines repeat their success, or does Scotland have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.