The Dougherty Trojans will face off against the Hardaway Hawks at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Last Tuesday, Dougherty made easy work of Sumter County and carried off a 23-5 victory. The win continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won four in a row.
Braylen Still
| 02/18/25 @ Sumter County | 4 |
| 02/11/25 vs Sumter County | 1 |
| 03/29/24 @ Monroe | 1 |
| 03/08/24 @ Sherwood Christian Academy | 1 |
| 02/23/24 vs Westover | 1 |
Braylen Still made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Still was even better at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, four runs, and four RBI. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Kingston Offord was a standout: he scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Dashaun Robinson, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Dougherty always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .675. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sumter County only posted an OBP of .481.
Meanwhile, Hardaway put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They never let Chattahoochee County get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory. While the Hawks didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-14-1), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Like Dougherty, Hardaway also got a great game from a two-way player: A'Nazhe Purnell. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Purnell was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing four bases. Purnell is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's stolen at least one every time he's taken the field this season.
In other pitching news, Samuel Bufford looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, Dante Hill and Jakobe Dewhart did most of the damage at the plate: Hill scored two runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-3, while Dewhart scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3. Kei'Shawn Neal was another key player, scoring a run and stealing three bases while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Dougherty's win bumped their record up to 2-0. As for Hardaway, their victory was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-0.
Dougherty took their win against Hardaway in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 15-5. Does Dougherty have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hardaway turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
