The Martin County Gators will face off against the Tarboro Vikings at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Martin County's pitching crew has only allowed 2.1 runs per game this season, so Tarboro's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Things were looking good for Martin County after they put the first runs on the board on Thursday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of Perquimans by a score of 5-3. The match marked the Gators' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Meanwhile, while Tarboro put up some runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for North East Carolina Prep. The Vikings blew past the Husky 7-0. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight contests by seven runs or more this season.
Cole Craddock 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 11 over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. He has become a key player for Tarboro: the team is 7-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 3-4 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Stephen Ribustello, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. He is becoming a predictor of Tarboro's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 3-5 when he doesn't).
Tarboro's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-5. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs over those games. As for Martin County, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 15-3.
Martin County came out on top in a nail-biter against Tarboro in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. Will the Gators repeat their success, or do the Vikings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
