The North Davidson Black Knights are taking a road trip to square off against the West Stanly Colts at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
North Davidson will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run last Thursday, then bounced right back against Western Alamance on Thursday. North Davidson put the hurt on Western Alamance with a sharp 13-3 win. The Black Knights haven't had any issues with the Warriors recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Rileigh Barker made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Abigail Brown was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those RBI marked the first that she brought in this season. Another player making a difference was Bryton Zimmerman, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
North Davidson kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, West Stanly put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Monroe a 17-0 shutout. The Colts' pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last four matchups.
Like North Davidson, West Stanly also got a great game from a two-way player: Katie Broadaway. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Broadaway was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, West Stanly got a massive performance out of Reagan Dixon, who went 2-for-3 with five RBI, one run, and one double. Jenna Brock was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-2.
West Stanly's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-0. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.3 runs over those games. As for North Davidson, their record now sits at 3-1.
Both North Davidson and West Stanly just can't seem to miss. North Davidson has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.8 hits per game. However, it's not like West Stanly struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 1.2 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
North Davidson suffered a grim 12-2 defeat to West Stanly in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can North Davidson avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
