vs
| 03/26/24 - Away | 4-3 W |
| 05/09/22 - Home | 5-13 L |
| 04/22/19 - Away | 11-9 W |
| 03/30/18 - Home | 3-1 W |
| 03/22/18 - Away | 2-1 W |
| + 4 more games |
King William is 7-2 against Essex since March of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Cavaliers will venture away from home to take on the Trojans at 6:30 p.m. King William's pitching crew has only allowed 1.4 runs per game this season, so Essex's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Last Tuesday, King William came up short against Mechanicsville and fell 5-1. The defeat continues a trend for the Cavaliers in their meetings with the Mustangs: they've now lost six in a row.
King William saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Andrew Lee, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last matchup, Essex made sure to put some runs up on the board against Mathews on Thursday. The Trojans were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Blue Devils. The Trojans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by seven runs or more this season.
Hunter Byrd made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Byrd was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-4. Essex is undefeated when Byrd posts two or more runs, but 1-2 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on James (Jay) Jeter, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-3. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Xzayviia (Zay) Bundy, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-2.
Essex was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mathews only posted a batting average of .043.
King William now has a losing record of 2-3. As for Essex, their win ended a four-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 5-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. King William has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Essex struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
King William skirted past Essex 4-3 when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Will the Cavaliers repeat their success, or do the Trojans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
