Southern Nash hasn't had much luck against Franklinton recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Firebirds will host the Red Rams at 6:30 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Franklinton will challenge a team with plenty of momentum: Southern Nash extended their winning streak to three on Thursday. The Firebirds were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over Rocky Mount. With that win, the Firebirds brought their scoring average up to 6.3 runs per game.
Caiden Peeler made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Southern Nash is 3-1 when Peeler allows one or fewer hits, but 6-8 otherwise. Peeler was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Kwamaine Battle
| 04/10/25 vs Rocky Mount | 6 |
| 03/25/25 @ Nash Central | 4 |
| 04/09/25 @ Rocky Mount | 3 |
| 04/04/25 vs Raleigh HomeSchool | 2 |
| 03/22/25 @ Cleveland | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kwamaine Battle, who went 3-for-4 with six RBI, one stolen base, and one double. Those six RBI gave him a new career-high. Luke Faulkner was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Southern Nash was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They are 4-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Franklinton came into Friday's matchup having lost eight straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. Everything went their way against Rocky Mount last Friday as they made off with a 7-1 victory. The Red Rams not only won last Friday, but they posted their biggest win since March 12th.
Like Southern Nash, Franklinton also got a great game from a two-way player: Diego Jimenez-Arellano. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over five innings pitched. Jimenez-Arellano was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Hudson Deutsch was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Conor Simpson, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Franklinton's win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-9 and their overall record up to 5-11. As for Southern Nash, the victory got them back to even at 9-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Southern Nash has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Franklinton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
