The William Byrd Terriers will head out on the road to square off against the Lord Botetourt Cavaliers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. William Byrd will aim to continue their four-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last.
On Tuesday, William Byrd made easy work of Fleming and carried off an 18-2 victory. With that win, the Terriers brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Hudson Cain was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Those hits marked the first that he has got this season.
In other pitching news, Tyler Harris looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three).
Back at the plate, Chase Daugherty was a standout: he went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Those two hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Tate Kotz, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
William Byrd kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fleming only managed one.
Meanwhile, Lord Botetourt was able to grind out a solid victory over Staunton River on Tuesday, taking the game 15-12.
Lord Botetourt got a massive performance out of Jairdan Pennix, who went 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Beau Lonker, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
Lord Botetourt has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 12 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-7 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games. As for William Byrd, their record now sits at 8-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. William Byrd has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Lord Botetourt struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went William Byrd's way against Lord Botetourt when the teams last played back in April, as William Byrd made off with a 7-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Terriers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.