Kings Mountain fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against North Gaston on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Wildcats by a score of 9-8. The Mountaineers were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Wildcats earlier this season, when they won 2-0.
KJ Bell put in work while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Jordan Buckner
| 04/02/26 @ Huss | 5 |
| 04/17/26 vs Forestview | 4 |
| 03/27/26 @ Ashbrook | 3 |
| 04/24/26 @ North Gaston | 2 |
| 03/04/26 @ West Lincoln | 2 |
| + 6 more games |
In other batting news, Jordan Buckner was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Kings Mountain's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-1 (and 4-9 when he doesn't). Lawson Kennedy was another key player, going 4-for-5 with one run.
Kings Mountain has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 9-10 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for North Gaston, they pushed their record up to 13-7 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home.
Coming up, Kings Mountain will welcome Ashbrook at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for North Gaston, they will take on South Point at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Red Raiders' pitching crew has only allowed 3.1 runs per game this season, so the Wildcats' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
