The King's Academy Lions are taking a road trip to square off against the Anderson County Mavericks at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
King's Academy gave up the first runs last Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. They came out on top against Alcoa by a score of 7-2. The contest marked the Lions' most dominant victory of the season so far.
King's Academy got a great performance from Jacob Braden as he struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits.
At the plate, King's Academy's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jack Hamilton, who scored a run while going 1-for-3. Gensley Ryan also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Anderson County, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Wednesday. They put the hurt on Greenback with a sharp 11-0 victory on Tuesday. The Mavericks' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Clay Fletcher looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Blake Lowe was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Reece Wilkerson, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Anderson County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive games.
King's Academy's record is now 4-5. As for Anderson County, the win got them back to even at 3-3.
Everything went King's Academy's way against Anderson County when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as King's Academy made off with an 11-3 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for King's Academy since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
