The Oak Grove Grizzlies will venture away from home to challenge the Ledford Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Oak Grove is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last nine games.
Last Tuesday, Oak Grove earned a 7-3 win over North Davidson.
Mary Peyton Hodge spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on five hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
Harper Sugg
| 04/08/25 @ North Davidson | 4 |
| 03/28/25 @ Montgomery Central | 3 |
| 02/24/25 vs East Wilkes | 2 |
| 04/04/25 vs Asheboro | 1 |
| 03/26/25 @ Southwestern Randolph | 1 |
At the plate, Harper Sugg was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Abby Cruz, who scored three runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Ledford won against Montgomery Central on Tuesday with 12 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Wednesday. The Panthers blew past Forsyth Home Educators 12-6. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by six runs or more this season.
Hailey Hoots made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. Hoots was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, Nicola Simpson and Alana Herrera did most of the damage at the plate: Simpson scored two runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4, while Herrera went 4-for-5 with four RBI and two runs. Grace Henry was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Ledford was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .452. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Forsyth Home Educators only posted a batting average of .323.
Oak Grove pushed their record up to 11-5 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Ledford, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 13-4.
Friday's contest 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 .318. However, it's not like Ledford struggles in that department as they've averaged .385. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Oak Grove beat Ledford 6-1 in their previous meeting back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Grizzlies since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
