The Oscar Smith Tigers will venture away from home to challenge the Nansemond River Warriors at 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Oscar Smith took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They blew past Deep Creek 10-0. The match marked the Tigers' most dominant victory of the season.
Braden Copeland and Dominick Zak made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Copeland tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Zak struck out eight batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (and not a single walk). Copeland has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. At bat, Copeland went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double, while Zak got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one run and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave Copeland a new career-high.
Sean Brown
| 04/24/25 vs Deep Creek | 2 |
| 04/15/25 vs Pine Forest | 1 |
| 04/02/25 vs Catholic | 1 |
| 03/27/25 vs Grassfield | 1 |
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Sean Brown, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high. Olvaun Collins also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Nansemond River gave up the first runs on Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. They came out on top against Greenbrier Christian Academy by a score of 11-7. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Warriors' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Buddy Baker and Konner Johnson did most of the damage at the plate: Baker got on base in all five of his plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and two RBI, while Johnson went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two doubles, and one stolen base. Baker has become a key player for Nansemond River: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 1-6 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Avery Fields, who went 1-for-3 with three runs and one RBI.
The win got Oscar Smith back to even at 6-6. As for Nansemond River, their record now sits at 4-7.
Oscar Smith came out on top in a nail-biter against Nansemond River when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 2-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
