The Shaw Raiders will head out to face off against the Heritage Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Shaw is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.4 runs per game this season.
The home team had come away the winner the last four times Shaw and Sumter County had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. Shaw never let Sumter County get on the board and left with a 13-0 win on Friday. The victory continues a trend for the Raiders in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won four in a row.
The team relied heavily on Kingston Long, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Deshaun Mays was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Shaw was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sumter County only posted a batting average of .125.
Meanwhile, Heritage was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 3-1 heartbreaker at the hands of John Milledge Academy. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Hawks have suffered since April 9, 2024.
Heritage saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lennon Campbell, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. Those two hits gave Campbell a new career-high. Robby Knight also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Heritage's defeat dropped their record down to 2-8. As for Shaw, the win got them back to even at 9-9.
Shaw's speedy runners might be the difference in Saturday's match. Shaw has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Heritage, though, as they've been averaging only 0.4 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Shaw continue to outrun the ball? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
