Baseball Recap: Avery County Comes Up Short

Avery County had lost three straight on the road, but on Thursday they dropped their record down to 3-12 to make it four. They lost 18-0 to the Mountain Heritage Cougars. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Cougars this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 15-0 on Tuesday.

Avery County saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Oak Markland, who went 1-for-2 with one double.

As for Mountain Heritage, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-10 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.8 runs over those games.

On Mountain Heritage's side, Carter Bennett made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts Bennett has posted since back in March of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 1-for-1 with two RBI and one run.

In other batting news, Cason Jones was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Mountain Heritage's success: when he posts at least three RBI the team is 3-1 (and 4-9 when he doesn't). Caden Carrol was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.

Avery County and Mountain Heritage will both get a bit of extra prep time before their next contests. The next time the Vikings see the field they'll take on Mitchell at 4:30 p.m. on the 28th. As for Mountain Heritage, their break will end when they face Draughn at 6:30 p.m. on the 29th.