Herscher hasn't had much luck against Wilmington recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Tigers will welcome the Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Herscher sitting on nine straight wins and Wilmington on three.
Herscher's hitters will try to repeat the strong performance they gave on Saturday, when they got past Roanoke-Benson/Lowpoint-Washburn's usually-dominant pitching crew. The Tigers came out on top against the Rockets by a score of 13-8.
Alec Nicholos was a major factor no matter where he played. He tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, going 2-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Herscher got a big performance out of Tanner Jones, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-5. That's the most stolen bases Jones has posted since back in April of 2024. Cam Baker was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Herscher was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .321 or higher in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Wilmington put their dominant pitchers on display in the team's third consecutive shutout on Friday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Gardner-South Wilmington a 10-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Wildcats, who have now won five contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
Ryan Kettman and Cooper Holman made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Kettman struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Holman struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). At the plate, Kettman scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Holman scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-4. Kettman is becoming a predictor of Wilmington's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 4-5 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Lucas Rink was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Wilmington is undefeated when Rink posts two or more runs, but 4-5 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Dierks Geiss, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Herscher pushed their record up to 12-1 with the victory, which was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.1 runs over those games. As for Wilmington, their victory bumped their record up to 7-5.
Wilmington's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Herscher has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .488. It's a different story for Wilmington, though, as they've only averaged .356. Will they be able to contain Herscher's hitters?
Herscher came up short against Wilmington in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 5-1. Will the Tigers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
