Baseball Game Preview: Pender Patriots vs. James Kenan Tigers

The Pender Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the James Kenan Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. James Kenan took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Pender, who comes in off a win.

While Patriots fans will have to keep waiting for their team to come home, they shouldn't be too worried about the road trip considering the result of Thursday's season opener. They blew past Lakewood 14-1 on Thursday.

Tyler Conger was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only a hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.

In other batting news, Sean Cummings was incredible, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Blake Howell was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.

Meanwhile, James Kenan unfortunately couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. They lost 14-4 to Clinton on Thursday. The Tigers have struggled against the Dark Horses recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.

Pender took their win against James Kenan in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 8-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Pender since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.