Baseball Game Preview: Ashe County Huskies vs. Freedom Patriots

Ashe County is 7-1 against Freedom since March of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Huskies will square off against the Patriots at 6:30 p.m. Ashe County is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.2 runs per game this season.

Things were looking good for Ashe County after they put the first runs on the board on Wednesday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of Hibriten by a score of 4-3. The Huskies have struggled against the Panthers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.

Kye Pennington

Base on Balls Against

04/09/25 vs Hibriten	1
04/01/25 vs Watauga	2
03/25/25 vs Freedom	2
03/19/25 vs East Surry	1
03/18/25 @ Alexander Central	1
03/13/25 @ Johnson County	1

Kye Pennington spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on eight hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Gavin Eller and Drew Cheek did some serious damage despite the final result: Eller scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4, while Cheek scored a run while going 2-for-4.

Meanwhile, Freedom was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their sixth straight defeat. They came up short against South Caldwell, falling 7-1.

Ashe County's record now sits at 9-9. As for Freedom, their record is now 6-10.

Ashe County was able to grind out a solid win over Freedom in their previous matchup back in March, winning 7-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Huskies since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.