Baseball Game Preview: West Carteret Patriots vs. Martin County Gators

The West Carteret Patriots will take on the Martin County Gators in a tournament on Tuesday. West Carteret will be strutting in after a win while Martin County will be coming in after a defeat.

On Monday, West Carteret made easy work of Hunt and carried off a 7-1 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Patriots.

Landon Mann was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two hits in seven consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in February.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Josh Johnson, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI. That's the most doubles he has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Riley Jones, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one double.

West Carteret kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hunt only managed four hits.

Meanwhile, Martin County didn't have quite enough to beat Tarboro on Thursday and fell 6-5.

Martin County has also traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 16-4 record this season. Even worse, they were so close so many times: the losses came by an average of only 1.33 runs. As for West Carteret, their record is now 9-7.