Baseball Game Preview: Avery County Vikings vs. Mitchell Mountaineers

Avery County is 2-8 against Mitchell since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Vikings will venture away from home to take on the Mountaineers at 4:30 p.m. Avery County has given up an average of 12.5 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Avery County fell victim to Mountain Heritage and their airtight pitching crew last Thursday. They came up short against the Cougars, falling 18-0. The Vikings just can't catch a break and have now endured four losses in a row.

Avery County saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Oak Markland, who went 1-for-2 with one double.

Meanwhile, Mitchell fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Madison on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Patriots by a score of 7-6.

AJ Mackey made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Mitchell is 3-1 when Mackey posts one or more home runs, but 7-9 otherwise. Sam Jones was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.

Avery County's record now sits at 3-12. As for Mitchell, their record is now 10-10.

Avery County skirted past Mitchell 13-11 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Mountaineers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.