The Mathews Blue Devils will face off against the West Point Pointers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
On Wednesday, Mathews got the win against Northampton by a conclusive 12-6. The Blue Devils might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matches by six runs or more this season.
Christian Blue was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over 5.1 innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. Blue was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and three RBI.
In other batting news, Blake Hunley was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Hunter Horsley, who went 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
Mathews hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Northampton struck out 12 times.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask West Point). They put the hurt on King & Queen Central with a sharp 17-2 victory on Tuesday. The Pointers haven't had any issues with the Royal Tigers recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.
Like Mathews, West Point also got a great game from a two-way player: Johnny Sparks. He pitched four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. Sparks has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season. He was even better at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with four stolen bases, four runs, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kekoah Ferguson, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Blake Keefe was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
West Point's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-8. As for Mathews, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-5.
Mathews took their victory against West Point when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 11-2 score. Do the Blue Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Pointers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
