Baseball Preview: Cape Fear Colts vs. Purnell Swett Rams
The Cape Fear Colts will play host again on Thursday to welcome the Purnell Swett Rams, where first pitch is scheduled at 6:00 p.m. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Wednesday, it was close, but Cape Fear sidestepped Gray's Creek for a 6-5 victory.
Cape Fear got a great performance from Logan Rayburn as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over 6.2 innings pitched.
At the plate, Lucca Pascarella and Mason Hughes did most of the damage at the plate: Pascarella went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, while Hughes scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Evan Bunce was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Purnell Swett had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.8 runs), and they went ahead and made it six on Wednesday. They came out on top against the Pirates by a score of 9-4.
Chandon Sanderson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over six innings pitched. Sanderson was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Easton Oxendine was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs and a triple. Another player making a difference was Joseden Oxendine, who went 1-for-4 with two runs and a triple.
Cape Fear pushed their record up to 22-4 with that win, which was their eighth straight at home. As for Purnell Swett, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-8 record this season.
Thursday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Cape Fear has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .492. However, it's not like Purnell Swett struggles in that department as they've averaged .439. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cape Fear took their victory against Purnell Swett in their previous meeting back in April by a conclusive 7-0. Will Cape Fear repeat their success, or does Purnell Swett have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
