The Miller School of Albemarle Mavericks will challenge the Highland Hawks at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Miller School of Albemarle comes in on five and Highland on six.
Miller School of Albemarle proved they can win big on Friday (they won by seven) and on Saturday they proved they can win the close ones too. They skirted past Cape Henry Collegiate 3-1.
Chase Cathey tossed a big game, pitching 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jackson Rosales, who went 1-for-2 with one home run. Mandela Browman was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Highland got themselves on the board against Woodberry Forest on Saturday, but Woodberry Forest never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Tigers with a sharp 8-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Hawks, who have now won eight matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Highland also got a great performance from Grayson Coppage as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over 4.2 innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave Coppage a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Joey Rogers was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing five bases while going 4-for-5. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 1.2 stolen bases per game. Paolo Francioli also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Highland kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in six consecutive games.
Miller School of Albemarle pushed their record up to 13-5 with the victory, which was their 20th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.4 runs over those games. As for Highland, their record is now 12-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Miller School of Albemarle has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Highland struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Miller School of Albemarle beat Highland 6-1 in their previous meeting back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Mavericks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
