The Westside Patriots will venture away from home to challenge the Burke County Bears at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Westside has five straight victories, Burke County has six straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
While Westside didn't have the best season last year (they finished 11-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. Everything went their way against Hephzibah on Tuesday as Westside made off with an 18-2 win. The Patriots might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matches by ten runs or more this season.
Hunter Barrow
| 03/04/25 @ Hephzibah | 3 |
| 02/25/25 vs Howard | 2 |
| 02/21/25 @ Cross Creek | 2 |
| 02/18/25 vs Cross Creek | 2 |
| 03/25/24 vs Greene County | 2 |
Hunter Barrow made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). He has been consistent : he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in runs.
In other batting news, Ethan Collins was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. Justin Lampkin was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Westside always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .618. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .517 or higher in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Burke County lost 8-2 to Lakeside on Friday.
Burke County saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Asher Price, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Burke County's defeat dropped their record down to 0-4. As for Westside, their record is now 7-3.
Burke County's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Westside has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .505. It's a different story for Burke County, though, as they've only averaged .309. Will they be able to contain Westside's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
