The Terry Sanford Bulldogs will square off against the Orange Panthers on Friday. Terry Sanford is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8 runs per game this season.
Terry Sanford is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Dixon 20-2. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for Terry Sanford considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Josh Hart looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April.
At the plate, Terry Sanford got a massive performance out of Josh Mozingo, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs Mozingo has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Gibson Bray, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base.
Terry Sanford was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .581. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Orange had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They came out on top against the Eagles by a score of 6-1.
Ryan Sawyer spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up six Ks. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Orange is 6-2 when he allows at most two walks, but 8-9 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Orange let Gary Miller and Henry Hoffman run wild. Miller went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, while Hoffman went 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. Hoffman has become a key player for Orange: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 10-11 otherwise.
Terry Sanford is on a roll lately: they've won 17 of their last 19 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.2 runs over those games. As for Orange, their win bumped their record up to 14-11.
Orange's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Terry Sanford hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .331. It's a different story for Orange, though, as they've only averaged .252. Will they be able to contain Terry Sanford's hitters?
Terry Sanford beat Orange 4-0 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
