King's Fork hasn't had much luck against Oscar Smith recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Bulldogs will head out to take on the Tigers at 5:45 p.m. King's Fork has given up an average of 8.6 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Grassfield hit King's Fork with a eight-run fifth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Bulldogs came up short against the Grizzlies, falling 15-1. The Bulldogs have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
King's Fork saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Michael Mejia, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base. That stolen base marked the first that Mejia has snagged this season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Oscar Smith). Everything went their way against Nansemond River on Tuesday as they made off with a 16-3 win. The game was the first time the Tigers have beaten the Warriors on their field since March 16, 2017.
Dominick Zak made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Donte Brooks Jr., who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Alex White, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one run.
Oscar Smith has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for King's Fork, their loss dropped their record down to 4-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. King's Fork has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Oscar Smith struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
King's Fork might still be hurting after the 17-1 defeat they got from Oscar Smith in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Bulldogs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
