vs
| 04/25/24 - Home | 12-4 W |
| 04/23/24 - Away | 7-0 W |
| 05/01/23 - Away | 4-5 L |
| 04/25/23 - Home | 12-1 W |
| 04/28/22 - Home | 6-5 W |
| + 5 more games |
Pinecrest is 9-1 against Union Pines since April of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Patriots will be playing in front of their home fans against the Vikings at 7:00 p.m. Pinecrest's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so Union Pines' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Pinecrest was handed a heart-breaking two-run defeat in their last contest, but they sure didn't let that happen against Hoggard on Wednesday. The Patriots blew past the Vikings 11-5. The high-scoring effort was just what the Patriots needed considering they were shut out in their previous match.
The team relied heavily on Liam Dutton, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Seth Norris, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, while it was Union Pines who put the first runs on the board on Wednesday, it was West Johnston who put up more. The Vikings took a 6-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wildcats.
Preston Whitaker made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Brodie Lyczkowski, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Pinecrest pushed their record up to 14-7 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Union Pines, their loss dropped their record down to 8-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Pinecrest has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Union Pines struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Pinecrest took their victory against Union Pines when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 12-4 score. Will the Patriots repeat their success, or do the Vikings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
