Hardin Valley Academy had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.3 runs), and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They had just enough and edged the Knoxville Central Bobcats out 5-4. That's more bragging rights for Hardin Valley Academy, who also won the pair's last head-to-head.
Camden Huckaby looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jaxon Jones, who scored a run and stole three bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Jones is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's stolen at least one every time he's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Caleb Neely, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3.
On Knoxville Central's side, they got a good showing from Andrew Bivens, who tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off three hits.
On the hitting side, Andrew Hill and Nick Riordan stepped up to the plate in a big way. Hill got on base in all four of his plate appearances with a stolen base and a double, while Riordan scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of David Grimes, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-3.
Hardin Valley Academy pushed their record up to 13-2 with that victory, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.9 runs per game. As for Knoxville Central, they have not been sharp recently as the team has lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 11-6 record this season.
Hardin Valley Academy will head out on the road to take on Maryville at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Hardin Valley Academy's pitching crew has only allowed three runs per game this season, so Maryville's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Knoxville Central, they will look to defend their home field on Monday against Halls at 6:00 p.m. Halls will roll in looking for their fourth straight win, something Knoxville Central surely won't give up without a fight.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
