Baseball Game Preview: Avery County Vikings vs. Mountain Heritage Cougars

For the second straight game, Avery County will face off against Mountain Heritage. The Vikings will square off against the Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Avery County has given up an average of 12.1 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Avery County fell victim to Mountain Heritage and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They lost 15-0 to the Cougars. The Vikings just can't catch a break and have now endured three losses in a row.

For Mountain Heritage's part, Caden Carrol made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over five innings pitched. Carrol has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4. Mountain Heritage is 4-2 when Carrol posts two or more runs, but 2-8 otherwise.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cason Jones, who went 4-for-5 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. He has become a key player for Mountain Heritage: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least three RBI, but 4-9 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Liam McMahan, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4.

Mountain Heritage kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 21 hits. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

Mountain Heritage is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-10 record this season. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 19 runs. As for Avery County, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-11.