Baseball Game Preview: Heard County Braves vs. Pepperell Dragons

For the second straight game, Heard County will face off against Pepperell. Heard County will welcome Pepperell at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Heard County has given up an average of 7.9 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Heard County's last matchup with Pepperell could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's game on Tuesday. Heard County came up short against Pepperell, falling 16-1. Having soared to a lofty 18 runs in the game before, the Braves couldn't push the score so high this time.

For Pepperell's part, Sam Ross was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and only one walk). Those nine strikeouts gave Ross a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played.

In other batting news, JP Kilgo was a standout: he scored four runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Cooper Middleton, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI and two doubles.

Pepperell hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in six consecutive matches.

Pepperell has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. Heard County's loss dropped their record down to 7-10.