Mountain Heritage is 0-6 against Draughn since April of 2022 but things could change on Tuesday. After both having extra time off, the two teams will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 6:30 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Tuesday.
Mountain Heritage's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed last Thursday. They blew past Avery County 18-0. The Cougars have beaten the Vikings the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Vikings has come to flipping the script.
Carter Bennett
| 04/17/25 vs Avery County | 8 |
| 04/04/25 vs Mitchell | 5 |
| 03/27/25 @ Polk County | 4 |
| 03/21/25 vs Madison | 4 |
| 03/14/25 @ Owen | 2 |
| + 11 more games |
Carter Bennett was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he 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, the team relied heavily on Cason Jones, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and two runs. He has become a key player for Mountain Heritage: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least one home run, but 3-9 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Caden Carrol, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Mountain Heritage kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Draughn came out on top against Enka last Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive nine-run third inning. The Wildcats put the hurt on the Jets with a sharp 12-2 victory. Considering the Wildcats have won eight contests by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Mountain Heritage, Draughn also got a great game from a two-way player: Griffin Stephens. On the mound, he tossed five innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. Stephens was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one RBI.
In other batting news, Jacob Mull was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Gage Dula was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Draughn has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 games. That's provided a massive bump to their 12-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Mountain Heritage, their victory bumped their record up to 7-10.
Both Mountain Heritage and Draughn just can't seem to miss. The Cougars have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.5 hits per game. However, it's not like Draughn struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mountain Heritage couldn't quite get it done against Draughn when the teams last played back in May of 2024 as they fell 9-6. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
