The Cox Mill Chargers will face off against the Central Cabarrus Vikings at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Cox Mill 2.9, Central Cabarrus 3.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Cox Mill is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 19 runs on Tuesday, they were much more limited against Providence on Saturday. They lost 11-1 to the Panthers. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Chargers, who until this contest were averaging 2.88 runs allowed.
Cox Mill saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Adam Buckelew, who went 1-for-2 with one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Central Cabarrus). They never let Olympic get on the board and left with a 26-0 victory on Thursday. While the Vikings didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Kit Stafford and Carson Fink made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Stafford tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Fink pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. At the plate, Stafford got on base in three of his six plate appearances with three runs and two RBI, while Fink got on base in four of his six plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and one double. Those four RBI gave Fink a new career-high.
In other pitching news, Tellis Bumgarner looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk).
Back at the plate, Andre Vaughn was a standout: he went 3-for-6 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. Another player making a difference was Nicholas Towery, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
Central Cabarrus always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .654. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Central Cabarrus is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.8 runs over those games. As for Cox Mill, their loss dropped their record down to 6-2.
Tuesday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Cox Mill hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .382. However, it's not like Central Cabarrus struggles in that department as they've averaged .333. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cox Mill skirted past Central Cabarrus 5-3 in their previous matchup back in June of 2021. Will the Chargers repeat their success, or do the Vikings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
