Loudoun County is 1-9 against Heritage since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Captains are taking a road trip to challenge the Pride at 6:30 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Loudoun County's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on May 15th. They didn't even let Park View on the board, marking the Captains' second-straight 13-0 shutout. The Captains might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by eight runs or more this season.
Ben Griffin was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He is becoming a predictor of Loudoun County's success: when he allows at most one hit the team is undefeated (and 3-7 when he doesn't). Griffin was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Dhillon Ruparella was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Jacob Martin, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and one RBI.
Loudoun County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .656. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Heritage extended their postseason success on Friday against Tuscarora. They had just enough and edged out the Huskies 6-5. Winning may never get old, but the Pride sure are getting used to it with their seventh in a row.
Heritage also got a great performance from Sam Walsh as he struck out six batters over 6.1 innings while giving up five earned runs off six hits. Walsh has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Cooper Miskelly, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024.
Heritage's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-11. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.3 runs over those games. As for Loudoun County, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-7.
Loudoun County might still be hurting after the 17-7 defeat they got from Heritage when the teams last played back in April. Can the Captains avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
