Baseball Game Preview: Gray Stone Day Knights vs. Albemarle Bulldogs

For the second straight game, Gray Stone Day will face off against Albemarle. The Knights are taking a road trip to square off against the Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Having struggled with five losses in a row, Gray Stone Day turned things around against Albemarle on Tuesday. They put the hurt on the Bulldogs with a sharp 10-4 win. Considering the Knights' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.

Cliffton Hatley

Stolen Base (Career)

04/15/25 vs Albemarle	4
03/06/25 vs South Davidson	3
04/16/24 @ Albemarle	3
04/09/25 vs North Stanly	2
03/21/25 vs South Stanly	2

Cliffton Hatley was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed three innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Logan Aikman, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (three). Anthony Decuir was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.

Albemarle dropped their record down to 1-13 with the defeat, which was their 17th straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Gray Stone Day, their victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-8 and their overall record up to 6-11.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Gray Stone Day has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Albemarle struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.