Baseball Game Preview: Nansemond River Warriors vs. Hickory Hawks

The Nansemond River Warriors will head out to take on the Hickory Hawks at 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Neither Nansemond River nor Hickory posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

Nansemond River is headed into the matchup having just suffered their closest loss since April 23, 2024 on Monday. They fell just short of Granby by a score of 4-2. The Warriors have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Ian Wilcox was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out seven batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits.

On the hitting side, Nansemond River saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Buddy Baker, who went 1-for-4 with one double and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Hickory waltzed into their game on Thursday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 2-1 W against the Bruins. Surprisingly, this marked the Hawks' fourth straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.

Jake Cozart spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on four hits.

Nansemond River's defeat dropped their record down to 7-12. As for Hickory, their win bumped their record up to 12-5.

Nansemond River suffered a grim 16-1 defeat to Hickory when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Warriors avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.