Van had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 1.7 runs), and they went ahead and made it four on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-5 victory over the Chapel Hill Bulldogs. That's two games straight that Van has won by just one run.
Grady Baetz spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and three unearned) runs on six hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Landon Smith was a standout: he scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Gabriel Bachert, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
On Chapel Hill's side, Jaxon Cummings was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two triples, two RBI, and a run. Another player making a difference was Connor Griffin, who scored three runs while going 1-for-3.
Van has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 18-6-2 record this season. As for Chapel Hill, their loss was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 7-12-1.
Van will take on Cumberland Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Van's pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so Cumberland Academy's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Chapel Hill, they will be playing at home against Athens at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Chapel Hill is facing Athens at the right time seeing as Athens is stuck on a 13-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
