Baseball Game Preview: First Flight Nighthawks vs. Nash Central Bulldogs

The First Flight Nighthawks will square off against the Nash Central Bulldogs at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. First Flight is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.

On Thursday, First Flight made easy work of Northeastern and carried off a 10-2 victory. That's two games straight that the Nighthawks have won by exactly eight runs.

Ben LaVier

Batters Struck Out (Career)

04/02/26 vs Northeastern	15
04/01/25 vs Hertford County	10
04/08/25 vs Holmes	8
03/13/26 @ Manteo	6
04/22/25 vs Northern Nash	6

First Flight got a great performance from Ben LaVier as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 15 over six innings pitched. Those 15 strikeouts gave LaVier a new career-high.

At the plate, Dillon Francis was excellent, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Lance Jones, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one double.

Meanwhile, Nash Central fell victim to Bunn and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They lost 8-0 to the Wildcats. The Bulldogs' defeat continues a trend for the squad, making it three in a row.

The win made it two in a row for First Flight and bumps their season record up to 8-4. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 7 runs in those games. As for Nash Central, their loss dropped their record down to 7-7.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. First Flight has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Nash Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

First Flight came out on top in a nail-biter against Nash Central in their previous meeting back in April of 2025, sneaking past 10-9. Will the Nighthawks repeat their success, or do the Bulldogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.