The Croatan Cougars will head out on the road to square off against the Swansboro Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Croatan is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9 runs per game this season.
Croatan is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Greene Central just ended the team's 12-game winning streak on Wednesday. They lost 10-0 to the Rams. Having soared to a lofty 12 runs in the game before, Croatan's shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Meanwhile, Swansboro entered their tilt with Richlands with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 win over the Wildcats on Tuesday.
Patrick Hollifield made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. Hollifield has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive pitching appearances. Hollifield was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Joshua Scott, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-4. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last seven times he's played.
Croatan's defeat ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 16-4. As for Swansboro, they have been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 12 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Croatan has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Swansboro struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.6. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Croatan was able to grind out a solid victory over Swansboro in their previous meeting two weeks ago, winning 3-0. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Swansboro's Ryan Brinkley, who struck out seven batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Croatan still be able to contain Brinkley? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
