Baseball Game Preview: Heide Trask Titans vs. Pender Patriots

For the second straight game, Heide Trask will face off against Pender. The Titans will square off against the Patriots at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Heide Trask is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.

Heide Trask barely beat Pender the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Titans were the clear victors by a 14-3 margin over the Patriots on Tuesday. That's two games straight that the Titans have won by exactly 11 runs.

Brantley Lunsford was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one double.

Gabe Vanvliet-Strickland

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/28/26 vs Pender	3
04/23/26 vs Fayetteville Christian	2
04/17/26 vs Southwest Onslow	2
03/19/26 vs Kinston	2
03/03/26 @ Kinston	2

In other batting news, Gabe Vanvliet-Strickland was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Drew Bailey, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.

Heide Trask hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post two or more strikeouts.

Heide Trask is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 9-11 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Pender, they dropped their record down to 2-18 with the defeat, which was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Heide Trask has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Pender struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.