The Hardaway Hawks are taking a road trip to challenge the Dougherty Trojans at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Hardaway knows how to get runs on the board -- the team has finished with ten runs or more in their past five contests -- so hopefully Dougherty likes a good challenge.
Hardaway's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 10-0 margin over Chattahoochee County. Fans of the Hawks have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.
A'Nazhe Purnell
| 02/20/25 vs Chattahoochee County | 4 |
| 02/17/25 vs Coosa | 5 |
| 02/17/25 vs Coosa | 1 |
| 02/13/25 @ Chattahoochee County | 2 |
A'Nazhe Purnell made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Purnell was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing four bases. Purnell is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's stolen at least one every time he's taken the field this season.
In other pitching news, Samuel Bufford looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, Hardaway let Dante Hill and Jakobe Dewhart run wild. Hill scored two runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-3, while Dewhart scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3. What's more, Hill posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. Jayden Foster also deserves some recognition as he stolen his first stolen bases of the season.
Meanwhile, Dougherty made easy work of Sumter County on Tuesday and carried off a 23-5 victory. The Trojans haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Braylen Still was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Still was even better at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, four runs, and four RBI.
In other batting news, Kingston Offord was a standout: he scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Dashaun Robinson, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Dougherty always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .675. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sumter County only posted an OBP of .481.
Hardaway's victory was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-0. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 7.8 runs. As for Dougherty, their record now sits at 2-0.
Hardaway might still be hurting after the 15-5 loss they got from Dougherty in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can Hardaway avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
