The Oak Grove Grizzlies will head out to challenge the North Davidson Black Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Oak Grove comes in on eight and North Davidson on three.
North Davidson's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Tuesday: Oak Grove hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. The Grizzlies never let Asheboro get on the board and left with a 16-0 victory on Friday. The Grizzlies might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by ten runs or more this season.
Kate Bertschi
| 04/04/25 vs Asheboro | 2 |
| 04/01/25 @ Central Davidson | 1 |
| 03/28/25 @ Montgomery Central | 1 |
| 03/26/25 @ Southwestern Randolph | 1 |
| 03/25/25 vs Ledford | 1 |
Kate Bertschi made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Those two hits gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chloe Smith, who scored three runs and stole four bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Those four stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Abby Cruz also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Oak Grove always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .769. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Asheboro only posted an OBP of .200.
Meanwhile, North Davidson made easy work of Montgomery Central on Friday and carried off a 10-0 win. Considering the Black Knights have won seven contests by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
The result came thanks to Rileigh Barker's shutout, as she gave up just three hits and racked up six Ks.
At the plate, Heidi Barker and Katelyn Sears did most of the damage at the plate: Heidi scored a run while going 4-for-4, while Sears scored four runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Paisley Dorton was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Oak Grove pushed their record up to 10-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for North Davidson, their record now sits at 12-5.
Tuesday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Oak Grove hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .322. However, it's not like North Davidson struggles in that department as they've averaged .333. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Oak Grove skirted past North Davidson 3-1 in their previous matchup back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Grizzlies since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
