The Carolina Forest Panthers will venture away from home to face off against the North Myrtle Beach Chiefs at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Carolina Forest 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 never let St. James get on the board and left with a 9-0 victory. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Not much got past Parker Reavis, who gave up just three hits and racked up seven Ks to keep St. James off the board. Reavis has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Carolina Forest got a big performance out of Jackson Meyers, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Mark Allen Jr. also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Carolina Forest always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as St. James only posted an OBP of .222.
Meanwhile, North Myrtle Beach entered their tilt with Socastee on Friday with six consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with seven. They were the clear victors by a 17-1 margin over the Braves. With that win, the Chiefs brought their scoring average up to 7 runs per game.
Noah Nance looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits.
At the plate, Gabe Priest was incredible, firing off two home runs and six RBI while going 2-for-4. Those six RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was CJ Oxendine, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
North Myrtle Beach pushed their record up to 9-2 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Carolina Forest, their record is now 8-3.
Monday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Carolina Forest has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .452. However, it's not like North Myrtle Beach struggles in that department as they've averaged .433. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Carolina Forest suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to North Myrtle Beach in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Can Carolina Forest avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
