The Eastern Randolph Wildcats will challenge the Mountain Heritage Cougars on Tuesday. Eastern Randolph will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each matchup than the last.
Eastern Randolph is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They blew past South Stanly 11-2. Eastern Randolph's victory was all the more impressive since the Rowdy Rebel Bulls were averaging only 3.93 runs allowed on the season.
Bryson Marley made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Marley was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Chance Holdaway was incredible, going 1-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one double. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Alex Kivett was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Eastern Randolph kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are 3-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Mountain Heritage never let their opponents score on Friday. Everything went their way against Swain County as they made off with a 15-0 win. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight games by six runs or more this season.
Like Eastern Randolph, Mountain Heritage also got a great game from a two-way player: Lane Chandler. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Chandler has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cason Jones, who went 1-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Mountain Heritage is 7-1 when Jones posts one or more home runs, but 4-10 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Branson Fox, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base.
Mountain Heritage has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 11-11 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Eastern Randolph, they now have a winning record of 13-12-1.
