The Buckingham Knights will face off against the Appomattox County Raiders at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Buckingham will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
Buckingham is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 22-3 margin over Nottoway on Tuesday. The Knights have beaten the Cougars the last nine times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Cougars has come to flipping the script.
Avery Schaeffer
| 04/15/25 @ Nottoway | 3 |
| 04/23/24 vs Amelia County | 2 |
| 04/18/24 @ Cumberland | 2 |
| 03/26/24 @ Lunenburg Central | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Randolph-Henry | 1 |
Buckingham got a massive performance out of Avery Schaeffer, who scored three runs while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. Those three runs gave Schaeffer a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Ethan Walter, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Buckingham was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .444. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Nottoway only posted a batting average of .143.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last matchup, Appomattox County made sure to put some runs up on the board against Gretna on Tuesday. The Raiders' pitcher stepped up to hand the Hawks a 14-0 shutout. With that win, the Raiders brought their scoring average up to 6.1 runs per game.
Appomattox County also got a great performance from Isaac Records as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Records has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Jack Wilkerson was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Appomattox County's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-4 when he doesn't). Micah Wilson was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one double.
Buckingham pushed their record up to 4-0 with the victory, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games. As for Appomattox County, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-4.
Appomattox County's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Buckingham has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .510. It's a different story for Appomattox County, though, as they've only averaged .352. Will they be able to contain Buckingham's hitters?
Buckingham skirted past Appomattox County 5-3 in their previous meeting back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
