Baseball Game Preview: Hartsville Red Foxes vs. Sumter Gamecocks

The Hartsville Red Foxes will challenge the Sumter Gamecocks at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Hartsville knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with ten runs or more in their past six matches -- so hopefully Sumter likes a good challenge.

Hartsville is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Lower Richland on Thursday as Hartsville made off with a 21-1 victory. The Red Foxes might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by eight runs or more this season.

Brandon Anderson was a major factor no matter where he played. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

In other batting news, Web Barnes was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Casey Hawkins, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.

Hartsville 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 five strikeouts in seven consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Sumter fell victim to West Florence and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They fell just short of the Knights by a score of 1-0. That's two games in a row now that the Gamecocks have lost by just one run.

Hartsville's win bumped their record up to 8-2. As for Sumter, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost five of their last six matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-6 record this season.

Hartsville couldn't quite finish off Sumter when the teams last played on March 8th and fell 3-1. Can Hartsville avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.