Virginia Episcopal School hasn't had much luck against Highland recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Bishops will venture away from home to face off against the Hawks at 5:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Highland will challenge a team with plenty of momentum: Virginia Episcopal School extended their winning streak to six on Wednesday. The Bishops' pitchers stepped up to hand Eastern Mennonite a 29-0 shutout. The Bishops' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Channing Jackson and Jack Mitchell made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Jackson tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Mitchell struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). The dominant performance also gave Jackson a new career-high in strikeouts (four). At the plate, Jackson went 2-for-4 with six RBI, three runs, and one triple, while Mitchell got on base in four of his six plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Lawrence Dempsey was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with four runs, two triples, and four RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Nate Gobble, who went a perfect 5-for-5 with five runs, four RBI, and one stolen base.
Virginia Episcopal School always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .654. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Eastern Mennonite only posted an OBP of .222.
Meanwhile, Highland waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They were the clear victors by a 10-2 margin over the Pioneers.
Like Virginia Episcopal School, Highland also got a great game from a two-way player: Ethan Hudson. He struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and not a single walk). Hudson has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Joey Rogers, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Brooks Graham also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Virginia Episcopal School pushed their record up to 10-4 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Highland, their record is now 19-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Virginia Episcopal School has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Highland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Virginia Episcopal School suffered a grim 17-0 defeat to Highland in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Bishops avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
