The SouthWest Edgecombe Cougars will take on the St. Pauls Bulldogs on Friday. The last four games SouthWest Edgecombe has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
SouthWest Edgecombe is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They beat Holmes by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 7-6.
Parker Gay
| 05/06/25 vs Holmes | 1 |
| 05/01/25 vs West Craven | 1 |
| 04/29/25 @ West Craven | 1 |
| 04/24/25 vs Arendell Parrott Academy | 0 |
Parker Gay was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned 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, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with two doubles and one RBI. What's more, he posted three hits, the most he's had since back in May of 2024.
Gay wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Chase Taylor, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs. Tyler Mears also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
West Bladen typically has all the answers at home, but on Tuesday St. Pauls proved too difficult a challenge. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Knights 5-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bulldogs have posted since April 4th.
Like SouthWest Edgecombe, St. Pauls also got a great game from a two-way player: Jaden Parker. On the mound, he pitched 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. Parker is becoming a predictor of St. Pauls' success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 5-1 (and 5-12 when he doesn't). Parker was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tyler Lavoie, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
SouthWest Edgecombe's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-7. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of one runs across that stretch. As for St. Pauls, they moved to 10-13 with that victory, which also ended their three-game losing streak.
