Preview: Southwest Onslow Stallions vs. Jacksonville Cardinals
Southwest Onslow and Jacksonville are an even 3-3 against one another since March of 2015, but likely not for long. The Southwest Onslow Stallions are on the road again on Monday to play the Jacksonville Cardinals at 4:00 p.m. Southwest Onslow is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 9.5 runs per game this season.
Southwest Onslow has not done well against East Duplin recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Southwest Onslow was the clear victor by a 14-0 margin over East Duplin. Considering Southwest Onslow has won four games by more than nine runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Deonte Roberts was a standout: he scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-1. The team also got some help courtesy of Nicholas Sanders, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, sadly, Jacksonville is still looking for their first win of the season after ten contests. Their tough 14-4 defeat to South Central on Thursday might stick with them for a while.
Julian Rojas made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with a stolen base, a double, and an RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Dominic King was another key contributor, going 3-for-3 with an RBI.
Even though they lost, Jacksonville was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .423. That's the best batting average they've managed all season.
Southwest Onslow is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 4-4 record this season. As for Jacksonville, their loss dropped their record down to 0-10.
Southwest Onslow's speedy runners might be the difference in Monday's match. Southwest Onslow has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.3 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Jacksonville, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 per game. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Southwest Onslow continue to outrun the ball?
Southwest Onslow was able to grind out a solid victory over Jacksonville when the teams last played back in April of 2023, winning 10-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for Southwest Onslow since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
