The Blue Ridge Fighting Tigers will challenge the Daniel Lions at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Blue Ridge took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They blew past Blacksburg 7-1. The win was some much needed relief for the Fighting Tigers as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Hudson Poirier
Hudson Poirier spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on four hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Blue Ridge is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 6-10 otherwise.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Hunter Teems, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. Gabe Henson was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Meanwhile, Daniel had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13 runs) and they went ahead and made it seven. They were the clear victors by a 10-2 margin over the Fighting Tigers. Ten seems to be a good number for the Lions as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Ian McCrary tossed a big game, striking out 11 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Lee Turnipseed was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Another player making a difference was Quint Cumbie, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Daniel kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in eight consecutive contests.
Daniel's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-4. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Blue Ridge, their win bumped their record up to 9-10.
Blue Ridge might still be hurting after the 10-2 loss they got from Daniel in their previous matchup on Tuesday. Will the Fighting Tigers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
