Baseball Preview: Blue Ridge Barons vs. North Cross Raiders
Blue Ridge is 2-7 against North Cross since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Blue Ridge Barons will be playing in front of their home fans against the North Cross Raiders at 4:30 p.m. Blue Ridge is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 10.2 runs per game this season.
Blue Ridge's hitters rose to the challenge against a Tigers pitching crew that boasted an average of only 3.33 points allowed on Wednesday. Blue Ridge's pitcher stepped up to hand Hargrave Military Academy a 10-0 shutout. That's two games straight that Blue Ridge has won by exactly ten runs.
Nicholas Canning made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out 13 over seven innings pitched. Canning was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while going 4-for-4. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen two or more in the last three games he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jason Byers, who scored four runs and stole seven bases while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Kelton Sparks, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for North Cross' offense. They fell victim to a rough 9-0 defeat at the hands of Auburn on Wednesday. North Cross just can't catch a break and has now endured three losses in a row.
Blue Ridge's win ended a four-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-3. As for North Cross, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-6.
North Cross' pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Blue Ridge hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .356. It's a different story for North Cross, though, as they've only averaged .145. Will they be able to contain Blue Ridge's hitters?
Blue Ridge suffered a grim 17-1 defeat to North Cross in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Will Blue Ridge have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
