The Falls Lake Firebirds will head out on the road to square off against the Oxford Prep Griffins at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Falls Lake knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy run totals in its past four matches -- so hopefully Oxford Prep likes a good challenge.
Falls Lake put the finishing touches on their fourth blowout victory of the season on Monday. Everything went their way against Wake Prep Academy as Falls Lake made off with a 12-3 win. While fans of Falls Lake might be used to big wins, the nine-run margin marked the team's biggest victory yet this season.
Cole Reinhard and Jacob Watson were a major factor no matter where they played. Throwing, Reinhard pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also only allowed one walk). Meanwhile, Watson pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also only allowed one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. At bat, Reinhard scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances, while Watson scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Carson Bowers was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Carson Gregory, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, Oxford Prep was not the first on the board last Monday, but they got there more often. They came out on top against Franklin Academy by a score of 6-3 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game).
Like Falls Lake, Oxford Prep also got a great game from a two-way player: Jayce Elliott. On the mound, he struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Elliott was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Drew West, who went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a double.
Falls Lake has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a massive bump to their 5-3 record this season. As for Oxford Prep, their record now sits at 7-1.
Friday's matchup will be a test for both team's pitchers. Falls Lake hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .326. However, it's not like Oxford Prep struggles in that department as they've averaged .354. 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 in their previous matchup on March 13th. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Oxford Prep's Tanner Abbott, who struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and only one walk). Now that Falls Lake knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
