The Wagener-Salley War Eagles will head out on the road to challenge the Horse Creek Academy Stallions at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Wagener-Salley has given up an average of 13.8 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.
Wagener-Salley came up short against Calhoun County on Friday, falling 12-1. The contest marked the War Eagles' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Wagener-Salley saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gavin Starnes, who scored a run while going 1-for-2. Malachi Lunsford also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times Horse Creek Academy and North have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Friday. Horse Creek Academy never let North get on the board and left with a 10-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Stallions in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won five in a row.
Jaxon Martin was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Horse Creek Academy is 3-1 when Martin allowstwo or fewer hits, but 1-2 otherwise. Martin was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, Horse Creek Academy let Bryce Gunter and Connor Kanagy run wild. Gunter scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-1, while Kanagy scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. What's more, Gunter posted three RBI, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Iniko Barker, who scored a run and stole Three bases. while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Horse Creek Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .517. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Horse Creek Academy pushed their record up to 4-3 with the win, which was their third straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 11.3 runs. As for Wagener-Salley, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-4.
Wagener-Salley skirted past Horse Creek Academy 9-8 in their previous meeting last Thursday. The rematch might be a little tougher for Wagener-Salley since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
