The First Flight Nighthawks will face off against the South Central Falcons at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
South Central will be up against a hot First Flight squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. The Nighthawks were the clear victors by a 19-2 margin over Hertford County on Friday. The Nighthawks' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Dylan McAvoy
| 04/24/26 @ Hertford County | 1 |
| 04/17/26 @ Pasquotank County | 1 |
| 04/06/26 vs Lawrence Academy | 1 |
| 04/04/26 vs Nash Central | 1 |
Dylan McAvoy made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, First Flight got a massive performance out of Lance Jones, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most runs Jones has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaiwi Sharp, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
First Flight always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .619. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hertford County only posted an OBP of .235.
The home team had come away the winner the last four times South Central and Jacksonville had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Falcons put the hurt on the Cardinals with a sharp 11-2 victory on Thursday.
Like First Flight, South Central also got a great game from a two-way player: Isaiah James. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. James was even better at the plate, firing off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 2-for-4.
In other pitching news, Chase White looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits.
Back at the plate, Tyce Thompson was excellent, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one double and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Corey Coleman, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
South Central's win bumped their record up to 15-4. As for First Flight, their victory bumped their record up to 13-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. First Flight has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like South Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
