The Hampton Crabbers will take on the Gloucester Dukes at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Hampton 3.1, Gloucester 3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Hampton is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They walked away with a 7-4 win over Jamestown. That's two games straight that the Crabbers have won by exactly three runs.
Toby Weymouth spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four runs (all of which were unearned) on six hits and racked up six Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Xavier Nixon, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April.
Meanwhile, Gloucester had already won ten in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.6 runs) and they went ahead and made it 11 on Monday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 4-3 W against the Packers.
Brayden Scott tossed a big game, pitching six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits.
At the plate, Hank Hardaway was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI.
The victory made it two in a row for Hampton and bumps their season record up to 20-1. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 5 runs in those games. As for Gloucester, their victory bumped their record up to 20-4.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Hampton has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .451. However, it's not like Gloucester struggles in that department as they've averaged .441. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hampton beat Gloucester 9-4 in their previous meeting back in March. Will the Crabbers repeat their success, or do the Dukes have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
