North Stanly is preparing for their first conference matchup of the season on Tuesday. They will face off against the Union Academy Cardinals at 6:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (North Stanly 1.7, Union Academy 1.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
North Stanly's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They came out on top against West Davidson by a score of 3-0. The victory continues a trend for the Comets in their matchups with the Dragons: they've now won five in a row.
Not much got past Sophia Crist, who gave up just three hits and racked up 16 Ks to keep West Davidson off the board. Furthermore, Crist didn't allow a single earned run, the first time she has blanked an opponent since back in May of 2024.
At the plate, North Stanly's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Kylie Speight, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Union Academy put another one in the bag on Monday to keep their perfect season alive. They were the clear victor by a 17-7 margin over Lee Park Prep. Fans of the Cardinals have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.
Union Academy got a massive performance out of Taylor Surratt, who went 2-for-4 with four runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those four runs gave Surratt a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Keilana Burgess, who scored two runs while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances.
Union Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits every time they've taken the field this season.
Union Academy's victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-0. As for North Stanly, their record now sits at 4-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Stanly has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Union Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
