The Falls Lake Firebirds will be taking part in a tournament against the Crossroads Christian Colts at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. The last three games Falls Lake has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
The home team had won the previous three meetings between Falls Lake and South Granville, and South Granville kept the tradition alive. The Firebirds fell just short of the Vikings by a score of 5-4 on Friday.
Owen Joines put in work no matter where he played. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Joines was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Jacob Watson made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Crossroads Christian). Everything went their way against Vance County on Thursday as they made off with a 23-2 victory. Considering the Colts have won five matches by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Falls Lake, Crossroads Christian also got a great game from a two-way player: Danny Wieninger. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave Wieninger a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double.
In other pitching news, Wesley Anderson looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. He is becoming a predictor of Crossroads Christian's success: when he allows at most three earned runs the team is undefeated (and 2-3 when he doesn't).
Back at the plate, Cody Paschall was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with six RBI, two stolen bases, and two runs. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Bobby Bobbitt, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI.
Crossroads Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .621. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in four consecutive contests.
Crossroads Christian has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.9 runs over those games. As for Falls Lake, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Falls Lake has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Crossroads Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
