The East Rowan Mustangs will take on the West Rowan Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. East Rowan is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last six games.
On Thursday, East Rowan was able to grind out a solid win over North Davidson, taking the game 10-5. That's two games straight that the Mustangs have won by exactly five runs.
East Rowan got a great performance from Tyler Hill as he pitched 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off two hits.
On the hitting side, Harrison Ailshie and Krys Hernandez did most of the damage at the plate: Ailshie scored a run while going 2-for-4, while Hernandez scored a run while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Mason Phelps, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask West Rowan). They were the clear victor by a 14-2 margin over Central Cabarrus on Tuesday. The Falcons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by eight runs or more this season.
Carter Durant made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brody Pope, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs he has posted over his last 11 contests. Brice Knox was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
West Rowan always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .524. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Central Cabarrus only posted an OBP of .276.
West Rowan's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-2. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for East Rowan, their win bumped their record up to 9-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. East Rowan has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like West Rowan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
