The South Brunswick Cougars will face off against the Atlantic Collegiate Academy Armada at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. South Brunswick's pitching crew has only allowed 1.2 runs per game this season, so Atlantic Collegiate Academy's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
South Brunswick is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of North Carolina's top teams: Laney, who was ranked 22nd at the time (South Brunswick was ranked 11th). The Cougars fell just short of the Buccaneers by a score of 2-1 on Tuesday. The Cougars' defeat signaled the end of their six-game winning streak.
Kina Davis spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on four hits and racked up 15 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, South Brunswick saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Savana Burgess, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Atlantic Collegiate Academy). They never let Manning get on the board and left with a 17-0 victory on Tuesday. The win was nothing new for the Armada as they're now sitting on three straight.
Brooklyn Hrinkovich was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Those eight strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gianna Solinger, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and four RBI. Those four runs gave her a new career-high. Annabelle Senecal was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
Atlantic Collegiate Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .515. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .500 or higher in three consecutive contests.
South Brunswick's loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 7-1 and their overall record down to 12-2. As for Atlantic Collegiate Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 5-8.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. South Brunswick hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .314. However, it's not like Atlantic Collegiate Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .332. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
South Brunswick took their win against Atlantic Collegiate Academy in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 9-0 score. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Armada have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
