Baseball Game Preview: Madison Patriots vs. Avery County Vikings

Madison is a perfect 10-0 against Avery County since March of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Madison Patriots will look to defend their home field against the Avery County Vikings at 6:00 p.m. Madison will be strutting in after a win while Avery County will be coming in after a loss.

Having struggled with five defeats in a row dating back to last season, Madison turned things around against Chase on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Trojans, sneaking past 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Patriots have posted since April 27, 2024.

Caden Lounsbury

Earned Runs

03/07/25 @ Chase	1
02/28/25 @ West Henderson	1
02/25/25 @ Polk County	0

Caden Lounsbury spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on three hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Madison's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jaxon Dillingham, who went 2-for-4 with one RBI. That's the most hits Dillingham has posted since back in April of 2024. Dalton Honeycutt also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.

Meanwhile, Avery County came up short against Freedom on Monday, falling 13-7. The loss continues a trend for the Vikings in their meetings with the Patriots: they've now lost six in a row.

Oak Markland was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Aaron King, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.

Madison's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-3. As for Avery County, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-2.

Madison skirted past Avery County 11-10 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Will Madison repeat their success, or does Avery County have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.