Stewarts Creek is on an eight-game streak of home wins, while East Hamilton is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Red Hawks will welcome the Hurricanes on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Stewarts Creek 2.7, East Hamilton 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Stewarts Creek is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Tennessee's top teams: Oakland, who was ranked fourth at the time (Stewarts Creek was ranked 13th). The Red Hawks walked away with a 6-1 win over the Patriots on Wednesday. That's two games straight that the Red Hawks have won by exactly five runs.
Addison Brawley and Lillian Fox did most of the damage at the plate: Brawley went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI, while Fox went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Alexis Pope was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Stewarts Creek kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Oakland only managed four hits.
Meanwhile, after a string of seven wins, East Hamilton's good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. They fell just short of Walker Valley by a score of 1-0. Having soared to a lofty 13 runs in the game before, the Hurricanes' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Yulai Woodruff spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances.
Stewarts Creek is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 14 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 25-6-1 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for East Hamilton, their defeat dropped their record down to 19-10.
Friday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Stewarts Creek hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .374. However, it's not like East Hamilton struggles in that department as they've averaged .323. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Stewarts Creek took their win against East Hamilton in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0 score. Do the Red Hawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Hurricanes turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
