Oscar Smith is 9-1 against King's Fork since April of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Tigers will host the Bulldogs at 5:45 p.m. King's Fork took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Oscar Smith, who comes in off a win.
Oscar Smith is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Nansemond River on Tuesday as they made off with a 16-3 win. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since April 30, 2019, but that streak is no more.
Dominick Zak
| 04/29/25 @ Nansemond River | 3 |
| 04/24/25 vs Deep Creek | 1 |
| 04/15/25 vs Pine Forest | 1 |
| 04/14/25 vs Jack Britt | 1 |
| 04/10/25 vs Indian River | 1 |
Dominick Zak made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Donte Brooks Jr., who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Alex White, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one run.
Grassfield hit King's Fork with a eight-run fifth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Bulldogs lost 15-1 to the Grizzlies. The Bulldogs haven't had much luck with the Grizzlies recently, as the team has come up short the last seven times they've met.
King's Fork saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Michael Mejia, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base. That stolen base was Mejia's first of the season.
King's Fork's loss dropped their record down to 4-7. As for Oscar Smith, they now have a winning record of 7-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Oscar Smith has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like King's Fork struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Oscar Smith's way against King's Fork in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Oscar Smith made off with a 17-1 victory. Will the Tigers repeat their success, or do the Bulldogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
