Essex hasn't had much luck against King William recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Trojans will host the Cavaliers at 6:30 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Essex 2.4, King William 1.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Essex will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run two weeks ago, then bounced right back against Mathews on Thursday. The Trojans blew past the Blue Devils 11-1. The Trojans haven't had any issues with the Blue Devils recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive win against them.
Hunter Byrd
| 04/10/25 @ Mathews | 2 |
| 03/27/25 vs Middlesex | 2 |
| 03/26/25 vs West Point | 2 |
| 03/26/25 vs West Point | 2 |
| 03/19/25 vs Mathews | 1 |
Hunter Byrd made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Byrd was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Essex's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, James (Jay) Jeter was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while going 3-for-3. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season. Kyran Howard was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 3-for-5.
Essex was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, King William came up short against Mechanicsville on Tuesday and fell 5-1. The Cavaliers have struggled against the Mustangs recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost meeting.
King William saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Andrew Lee, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
King William now has a losing record of 2-3. As for Essex, their victory bumped their record up to 5-2.
King William's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Essex hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .337. It's a different story for King William, though, as they've only averaged .171. Will they be able to contain Essex's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
