The Nansemond River Warriors will head out on the road to face off against the Greenbrier Christian Academy Gators at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Nansemond River's hitters haven't had much luck over their past four matchups, but Friday's contest will give them a chance to turn things around.
Grassfield hit Nansemond River with a five-run sixth inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Warriors lost 11-1 to the Grizzlies.
Nansemond River saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Michael Guerra, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base. Peyton Hartsfield also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Greenbrier Christian Academy entered their tilt with Benedictine on Thursday with 15 consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with 16. They never let the Cadets get on the board and left with an 8-0 win. The Gators might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 games by seven runs or more this season.
Not much got past Jackson Okonkwo, who gave up just four hits and racked up six Ks to keep Benedictine off the board. Okonkwo has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Thomas Conrad was incredible, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Tyson Moravec, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Greenbrier Christian Academy's victory was their 11th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-1. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Nansemond River, their loss dropped their record down to 3-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Nansemond River has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Greenbrier Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Nansemond River came up short against Greenbrier Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 9-5. Can the Warriors avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
