The Sanderson Spartans will head out to face off against the Enloe Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Sanderson is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Vance County a 19-0 shutout on Thursday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Spartans considering their one-run performance the match before.
HAMPTON RIVERS
| 02/27/25 @ Garner | 6 |
| 03/26/25 @ Broughton | 5 |
| 03/07/25 @ Wakefield | 5 |
| 03/13/25 @ Knightdale | 3 |
HAMPTON RIVERS looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Sanderson is 2-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 1-10 otherwise.
At the plate, GAINES STALLWORTH was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. IAN BARRIE was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Sanderson always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .677. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Enloe had to endure a six-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They walked away with a 6-1 win over Sanderson on Tuesday. Surprisingly, this marked the fourth straight game that the away team has come away the victor.
Malhar Shelke spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up 12 Ks. Those 12 strikeouts set a new season-high mark for him.
On the hitting side, Joshua ?J.T.? Glenn was incredible, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Gabriel Martinez also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Enloe's victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-4 and their overall record up to 5-9. As for Sanderson, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 3-11.
Sanderson couldn't quite get it done against Enloe when the teams last played on Tuesday as they fell 6-1. Can the Spartans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
