The Madison Patriots are taking a road trip to face off against the North Buncombe Black Hawks at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Madison will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
Madison barely beat Avery County the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Madison put the hurt on Avery County with a sharp 14-8 victory on Tuesday. The Patriots' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Chance Penland
| 03/11/25 vs Avery County | 5 |
| 02/25/25 @ Polk County | 1 |
| 04/05/24 @ Rosman | 1 |
| 03/13/24 @ Pisgah | 1 |
Chance Penland made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five). He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances. That run was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Caden Lounsbury was a standout: he scored two runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Dallas Bartlett was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Madison always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .585. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Avery County only posted an OBP of .405.
Meanwhile, North Buncombe put another one in the bag on Monday to keep their perfect season alive. They were the clear victor by a 9-3 margin over Mountain Heritage. While the Black Hawks didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Kameron Keenan was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run and six RBI.
In other batting news, Bannen Winker was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
North Buncombe pushed their record up to 6-0 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Madison, their record now sits at 2-3.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Madison hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like North Buncombe struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Madison came out on top in a nail-biter against North Buncombe in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 9-8. The rematch might be a little tougher for Madison since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
