The Ensworth Tigers will venture away from home to square off against the Stewarts Creek Red Hawks at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Ensworth's pitching crew has only allowed 3.5 runs per game this season, so Stewarts Creek's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Ensworth fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Hendersonville on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Commandos by a score of 7-6. The Tigers' defeat signaled the end of their undefeated season.
Daniel Ulm was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits.
On the hitting side, Blake Surratt made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while going 3-for-4. Daniel Maumus was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Stewarts Creek not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since April 23, 2024. They never let Northwest get on the board and left with a 10-0 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Red Hawks.
Jeff Moran tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. What's more, he gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024.
At the plate, Shawn Rhodes was excellent, going a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in runs. Chase Fernandez also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Stewarts Creek always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .536. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The victory got Stewarts Creek back to even at 4-4. As for Ensworth, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 3-1.
