The Swansboro Pirates will head out on the road to square off against the Croatan Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Swansboro took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They blew past Richlands 14-4.
Patrick Hollifield made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. Hollifield has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Hollifield was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with a double and an RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Landen Jenkins, who scored two runs while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Nick Quinones, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Croatan entered their tilt with White Oak with six consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with seven. Everything went their way against the Vikings on Tuesday as they made off with a 27-4 win. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest victory Croatan has managed all season.
Harrison Thomas looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
At the plate, Weston Thomas was incredible, scoring five runs and stealing three bases while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Liam McFadden, who scored four runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Swansboro is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-5 record this season. As for Croatan, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-3.
Thursday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Swansboro has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .431. However, it's not like Croatan struggles in that department as they've averaged .436. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Swansboro skirted past Croatan 4-2 in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Does Swansboro have another victory up their sleeve, or will Croatan turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
