The Harpeth Indians will take on the Hunters Lane Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Harpeth has six straight victories, Hunters Lane has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Wednesday, Harpeth made easy work of East Hickman County and carried off an 11-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Indians, who have now won ten matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Luke Summers and Houston Greer made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Summers pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run but no hits. Meanwhile, Greer pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Summers has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two hits in ten consecutive appearances. At the plate, Summers went 1-for-2 with one triple and one run, while Greer went 1-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Preston Merritt and Chance Ford did most of the damage at the plate: Merritt went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI, while Ford went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. That's the most hits Ford has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Hudson Ealy, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Harpeth was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as East Hickman County only posted a batting average of .182.
Northeast hit Hunters Lane with a 12-run first inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Warriors lost 14-4 to the Eagles. That's two games in a row now that the Warriors have lost by exactly ten runs.
Chris Kendall made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Jose Garcia was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Harpeth's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-8. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Hunters Lane, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-10.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Harpeth has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hunters Lane struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
