The Apex Friendship Patriots will challenge the Willow Spring Storm at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Apex Friendship took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Leesville Road 7-5.
Apex Friendship got a great performance from Logan Seepers as he pitched five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Seepers has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
Luke Grammich
| 04/11/26 vs Leesville Road | 2 |
| 03/24/26 vs Green Level | 1 |
| 03/20/26 @ Apex | 1 |
| 04/15/25 @ Cary | 1 |
| 04/03/25 @ Asheville | 1 |
At the plate, Apex Friendship saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Luke Grammich, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double. Those two RBI gave Grammich a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Willow Spring had to endure a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They skirted past Green Hope 7-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Storm have posted since March 20th.
Alex Smith tossed a big game, tossing 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off two hits. He has become a key player for Willow Spring: the team is 4-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 4-10 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Corey Kinard II, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Braedon Marsh, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Willow Spring's victory bumped their record up to 8-11. As for Apex Friendship, the win got them back to even at 9-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Apex Friendship has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Willow Spring struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Apex Friendship came out on top in a nail-biter against Willow Spring in their previous matchup back in April of 2025, sneaking past 3-2. Will the Patriots repeat their success, or do the Storm have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
