Fairhope hasn't had much luck against Enterprise recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Pirates will face off against the Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Fairhope is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 7-1 margin over Central. The win was familiar territory for the Pirates, who have now won four games in a row.
Rock Gearhart was excellent, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs. Lance Wade was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI.
Fairhope hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Enterprise came tearing into Friday's contest with 15 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Tigers as they made off with a 14-2 victory. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Wildcats considering their two-run performance the game before.
Mikey Vanderheyden was a standout: he got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Walker Turner, who went 2-for-5 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Fairhope's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 31-11. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Enterprise, their record now sits at 32-1.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Fairhope hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. However, it's not like Enterprise struggles in that department as they've averaged .356. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Fairhope couldn't quite finish off Enterprise in their previous meeting back in March and fell 2-0. Can the Pirates avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
