Falls Lake is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Oxford Prep is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Firebirds will host the Griffins at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Falls Lake is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
Falls Lake's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed last Tuesday. They came out on top against NCSSM: Durham by a score of 4-0. The Firebirds haven't had any issues with the Unicorns recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.
Jacob Watson
| 03/25/25 vs NCSSM: Durham | 19 |
| 03/10/25 vs South Granville | 14 |
| 03/18/25 @ American Leadership Academy-Johnston | 11 |
| 02/25/25 @ Southern School of Energy and Sustainability | 6 |
| 03/03/25 @ South Granville | 5 |
| + 2 more games |
The result came thanks to Jacob Watson's shutout, as he gave up just a hit and racked up 19 Ks. Falls Lake is 2-1 when Watson posts eight or more strikeouts, but 3-4 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Dalton Parker, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season.
Meanwhile, Oxford Prep's rock-solid pitcher showed up for the team's fourth consecutive shutout on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 7-0 margin over Crossroads Christian. Considering the Griffins have won seven contests by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Not much got past Tanner Abbott, who gave up just three hits and racked up 13 Ks to keep Crossroads Christian off the board. Abbott has been consistent : he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Drew West was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Hunter Woodlief, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.
The win got Falls Lake back to even at 5-5. As for Oxford Prep, their victory bumped their record up to 9-2.
Wednesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Falls Lake hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. However, it's not like Oxford Prep struggles in that department as they've averaged .325. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Falls Lake suffered a grim 7-1 defeat to Oxford Prep when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can the Firebirds avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
