The Harnett Central Trojans will venture away from home to square off against the Triton Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Harnett Central's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Triton's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Triton will challenge a team with plenty of momentum: Harnett Central extended their winning streak to three on Thursday. The Trojans put the hurt on E.E. Smith with a sharp 21-1 win. The Trojans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by six runs or more this season.
Zak Kerns looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single hit in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Brantley Champion and Brayden Sears did most of the damage at the plate: Champion scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances, while Sears scored four runs and stole two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Champion continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Rylan Wester, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-1.
Harnett Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .690. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Triton might've scored the first runs on Friday, but it was Pine Forest who claimed the real prize. The Hawks fell just short of the Trojans by a score of 7-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Hawks have suffered since April 9, 2024.
Brayden Bates put in work no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out ten batters over three innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. Bates was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Chase Sewell made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Harnett Central's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Triton, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 8-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Harnett Central has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Triton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Harnett Central came out on top in a nail-biter against Triton in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Trojans since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
