The Cherokee Bluff Bears will venture away from home to take on the Lanier Longhorns at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Cherokee Bluff is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.5 runs per game this season.
Cherokee Bluff's hitters will try to repeat the strong performance they gave on Tuesday, when they got past Loganville's usually-dominant pitching crew. The Bears put the hurt on the Red Devils with a sharp 12-4 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bears.
Gabe Gowder tossed a big game, tossing five innings while giving up three earned runs off eight hits.
Bryce Fontenot
| 03/28/25 @ Jefferson | 3 |
| 03/21/25 vs East Hall | 3 |
| 03/11/25 @ Monroe Area | 3 |
| 02/14/25 @ Grayson | 3 |
| 04/15/25 vs Loganville | 2 |
| + 13 more games |
At the plate, Bryce Fontenot was incredible, firing off two home runs, five RBI, and one double while going 3-for-4. He also scored two runs, which is notable because Cherokee Bluff is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 10-11 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Kaden Thompson, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Lanier can bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Wednesday. They walked away with a 7-3 victory over Norcross.
Lanier also got a great performance from Patrick Goodheart as he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Those seven strikeouts gave Goodheart a new career-high.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Nicholas Sampona, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4. Jacob Warren also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Cherokee Bluff's win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-11. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.1 runs over those games. As for Lanier, their record is now 7-21.
Lanier's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Cherokee Bluff hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .326. It's a different story for Lanier, though, as they've only averaged .192. Will they be able to contain Cherokee Bluff's hitters?
Everything went Cherokee Bluff's way against Lanier in their previous meeting on Monday, as Cherokee Bluff made off with a 15-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bears since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
