The Alexander Central Cougars will head out on the road to challenge the Mooresville Blue Devils at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Alexander Central is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering South Caldwell just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell 7-2 to the Spartans. The contest marked the Cougars' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Alexander Central saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Sawyer Chapman-Mays, who went 2-for-3 with one double. Graham Hoke was another, going 1-for-4 with one triple and one run.
Meanwhile, Mooresville got the win against Cox Mill on Tuesday by a conclusive 10-4. The Blue Devils might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matches by six runs or more this season.
Talon Russ looked comfortable as he tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three).
At the plate, Luke Modrak was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 4-for-4. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Southern Smith-Tilley, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Mooresville kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are 4-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
The victory made it two in a row for Mooresville and bumps their season record up to 7-5. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 8 runs in those games. As for Alexander Central, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 6-5.
Wednesday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Alexander Central has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .462. However, it's not like Mooresville struggles in that department as they've averaged .458. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Alexander Central was able to grind out a solid victory over Mooresville in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, winning 3-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Alexander Central since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
