Baseball Game Preview: Sussex Central Tigers vs. Southampton Indians

Sussex Central hasn't had much luck against Southampton recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Tigers are taking a road trip to take on the Indians at 5:30 p.m. Sussex Central's pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so Southampton's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

It was a proper cat-fight when Sussex Central took on Surry County on Tuesday. The Tigers fell just short of the Cougars by a score of 4-3.

Justin Patterson

Stolen Base

04/29/25 vs Surry County	2
04/10/25 vs Franklin	5
03/27/25 @ Greensville County	1
03/26/25 vs Lunenburg Central	1
03/19/25 @ Charles City	1

Sussex Central saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Justin Patterson, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one RBI. Patterson is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season. Marzavion Stith was another, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base and one run.

Meanwhile, Southampton fell victim to Lunenburg Central and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They came up short against the Chargers, falling 10-0. The shutout was out of character for the Indians seeing as the last time the team failed to score was back in March.

Southampton's loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 5-4. As for Sussex Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-3.

Southampton's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Sussex Central hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .411. It's a different story for Southampton, though, as they've only averaged .258. Will they be able to contain Sussex Central's hitters?

Sussex Central suffered a grim 15-5 defeat to Southampton in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.