vs
| 04/15/23 - Away | 7-1 W |
| 04/15/23 - Away | 9-2 W |
| 04/16/22 - Home | 5-17 L |
| 04/16/22 - Home | 10-9 W |
| 04/17/21 - Away | 6-0 W |
| + 5 more games |
Decatur Central has gone 8-2 against Southport recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. The Hawks will venture away from home to face off against the Cardinals at 11:00 a.m.
Decatur Central made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Mooresville, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Hawks fell just short of the Pioneers by a score of 5-3 on Wednesday. The Hawks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Zach Losito put in work no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single hit in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one run and one double.
Losito wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Drew Dalton, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
While Southport didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-12), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They put the hurt on Perry Meridian with a sharp 10-0 win on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Cardinals, who have now won three games by eight runs or more so far this season.
Like Decatur Central, Southport also got a great game from a two-way player: Nick Godsey. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Godsey was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Southport's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Riley Matlock was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run and one stolen base. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season.
Southport always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .517. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matchups.
Southport has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Decatur Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-5.
Decatur Central took their win against Southport when the teams last played back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 7-1 score. Will the Hawks repeat their success, or do the Cardinals have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
