The Murphy Bulldogs will take on the Union Academy Cardinals on Friday. Murphy is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last six games.
Murphy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They walked away with a 9-6 victory over Uwharrie Charter Academy.
Meanwhile, Union Academy's rock-solid pitcher showed up for the team's third consecutive shutout on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Draughn an 8-0 shutout. Considering the Cardinals have won 21 games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
The result came thanks to Avery Wilson's shutout, as she gave up just three hits and racked up 20 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Union Academy let Laney Hildreth and Taylor Surratt run wild. Hildreth went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI, while Surratt went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Those two RBI gave Hildreth a new career-high. Keilana Burgess was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Union Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .312 or higher in five consecutive contests.
Union Academy pushed their record up to 24-1 with the win, which was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.8 runs over those games. As for Murphy, their win bumped their record up to 16-7.
Murphy suffered a grim 11-0 defeat to Union Academy when the teams last played back in May of 2022. Can the Bulldogs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
