Baseball Preview: Hoggard Vikings vs. Ashley Screaming Eagle
Hoggard has been on the road for three straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Ashley Screaming Eagle at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Hoggard: 2.1, Ashley: 1.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Tuesday, Hoggard needed a bit of extra time to put away West Brunswick. They walked away with a 6-3 win over the Trojans.
Preston Smith made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). Smith was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
In other pitching news, Coleton Norris tossed a big game, tossing 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive pitching appearances.
Smith wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Cameron Mathews, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, in what's become a running theme this season, Ashley gave their fans yet another huge victory on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 10-3 margin over Wilmington Christian Academy.
Hoggard pushed their record up to 16-2 with that win, which was their fifth straight on the road. As for Ashley, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-3 record this season.
Hoggard came out on top in a nail-biter against Ashley in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 4-2. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Ashley's Cole Barnes, who pitched six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Hoggard still be able to contain Barnes? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
