East Wilkes has gone  a perfect 3-0 against Avery County recently and they'll look to pad the win column further  on Thursday. The Cardinals will face off against the Vikings at 4:30  p.m. The last three games East Wilkes has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
While East Wilkes'  victory against Alleghany wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Cardinals sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with  a  4-2  win over the Trojans  on Tuesday. The  victory continues a trend for the Cardinals in their matchups with the Trojans: they've now won six in a row.

 Elijah Johnson
| 04/01/25 vs Alleghany | 1 | 
| 03/28/25 vs South Stokes | 0 | 
| 03/25/25 @ South Stokes | 1 | 
| 03/18/25 vs Elkin | 1 | 
| 03/14/25 vs Mount Airy | 2 | 
  Elijah Johnson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned  (and one unearned) run on three hits and racked up six Ks. He has been consistent : he hasn't  given up  more than two  walks in five consecutive appearances.
Meanwhile, Avery County got their first taste of in-conference action  on Tuesday and they started things off strong. They blew past Rosman 13-6. With that  win, the Vikings brought their scoring average up to 6.3  runs per game.
 Finley Trivett and  Jameson Wanner made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound,  Trivett   tossed two innings while giving up   no  earned runs off   one  hit. Meanwhile,  Wanner   struck out 11 batters over  4.2 innings while giving up  three earned runs off only  one  hit. Trivett also  tossed  no  earned runs, which is notable because Avery County is 2-1 when he allows at  most  three  earned runs, but 0-6 otherwise. At bat,  Trivett  scored two  runs while going 3-for-4, while  Wanner  scored a  run while going 3-for-4.
 In other batting news,  Oak Markland was  excellent,  going 2-for-5 with three  runs and one  triple. Avery County is 2-1 when  Markland posts two or  more  runs, but 0-6 otherwise.  Kaleb Liner also deserves some recognition as  he  scored his first  run of the season.
 Avery County  kept the outfield on their toes and  finished the game with 14  hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now  got at least 14  hits in three consecutive  matches.
 East Wilkes' record is now 8-3. As for Avery County, their record now sits at 2-7.
 East Wilkes took their  victory against Avery County  in their previous meeting  back in April of 2024 by a conclusive  19-9 score. Will the Cardinals repeat their success,  or do  the Vikings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.