Baseball Recap: Draughn Picks Up Fourth Consecutive Victory

Draughn waltzed into their match on Friday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They put the hurt on the Avery County Vikings with a sharp 13-3 victory. That's the second time they've managed to beat them this season, as they also won 11-0 last Tuesday.

Griffin Stephens

Runs Batted In (Career)

03/21/25 vs Avery County	5
03/14/24 vs Owen	4
03/27/24 @ Avery County	3
05/10/24 vs Swain County	2
02/28/25 @ St. Stephens	1

Griffin Stephens made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 13 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with five RBI, one stolen base, and one double. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, Jacob Mull was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Draughn's success: when he posts at least one home run the team is undefeated (and 2-5 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Tyler Lange, who scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.

Draughn always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .586. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Avery County only posted an OBP of .318.

The win got Draughn back to even at 5-5. As for Avery County, their defeat was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 0-6.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Draughn will welcome Mitchell at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Draughn's pitchers better be ready for this one: Mitchell has averaged an impressive 8.1 runs per game this season. As for Avery County, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Owen at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Avery County is facing Owen at the right time seeing as Owen is stuck on a nine-game losing streak.