The Arcadia Firebirds will face off against the Southampton Indians at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Arcadia is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
Arcadia fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Randolph-Henry on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Statesmen by a score of 5-4.
Arcadia saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brian White, who went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run. Vashawn Johnson also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Southampton). They blew past Greensville County 18-2 on Thursday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Indians with their most commanding win of the season.
Adin Brown made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. Brown was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Southampton is undefeated when Brown posts two or more stolen bases, but 1-3 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Riland Aldrich, who went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs. He has become a key player for Southampton: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 1-3 otherwise. River Barnes was another key player, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
Southampton kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Greensville County only managed six.
Arcadia's defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 4-3. As for Southampton, they now also have a winning record of 4-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Arcadia has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Southampton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
