The Mountain Heritage Cougars will take on the Eastern Randolph Wildcats on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Mountain Heritage is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They never let Swain County get on the board and left with a 15-0 win. Considering the Cougars have won eight matchups by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Lane Chandler
| 03/03/25 @ Hendersonville | 6 |
| 03/18/25 @ Madison | 4 |
| 03/11/25 vs Owen | 4 |
| 05/02/25 @ Draughn | 2 |
| 03/24/25 @ North Buncombe | 2 |
| + 4 more games |
Lane Chandler was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Mountain Heritage is 4-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 7-10 otherwise. Chandler was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cason Jones, who went 1-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Mountain Heritage's success: when he posts at least one home run the team is 7-1 (and 4-10 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Branson Fox, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base.
Eastern Randolph came out on top against South Stanly on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run fourth inning. The Wildcats put the hurt on the Rowdy Rebel Bulls with a sharp 11-2 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Wildcats.
Like Mountain Heritage, Eastern Randolph also got a great game from a two-way player: Bryson Marley. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Marley was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Chance Holdaway was incredible, going 1-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one double. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Alex Kivett, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Eastern Randolph kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are 3-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Mountain Heritage is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-11 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Eastern Randolph, they now have a winning record of 13-12-1.
Eastern Randolph's pitching crew better be locked in on Tuesday. Mountain Heritage hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. It's a different story for Eastern Randolph, though, as they've been averaging only 0 home runs. Will they be able to keep Mountain Heritage in the park? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
