Cloudland is 0-9 against Happy Valley since April of 2016 but things could change on Friday. The Highlanders will be playing in front of their home fans against the Warriors at 4:30 p.m. Cloudland will be strutting in after a victory while Happy Valley will be coming in after a loss.
Cloudland took a nine-run defeat the last time they faced off against Bethel Christian Academy, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Highlanders won by a run and slipped past the Crusaders 4-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Highlanders have posted since April 3, 2025.
Walker Gouge
| 04/16/26 vs Bethel Christian Academy | 7 |
| 04/03/25 vs Unaka | 4 |
| 04/07/26 @ Hampton | 3 |
| 04/02/26 vs Johnson County | 2 |
| 03/23/26 @ Unaka | 2 |
Brayden Whitaker and Walker Gouge made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Whitaker struck out seven batters over 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. Meanwhile, Gouge struck out seven batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high. At the plate, Whitaker got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run, while Gouge went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Bo Wilson, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Thursday as neither Happy Valley nor Gatlinburg-Pittman made it on the board until the sixth inning. The Warriors fell 9-6 to the Highlanders. The Warriors haven't had much luck with the Highlanders recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Happy Valley's loss dropped their record down to 9-12. As for Cloudland, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-12.
Cloudland might still be hurting after the 20-1 defeat they got from Happy Valley when the teams last played last Thursday. Can the Highlanders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
