The D.H. Conley Vikings will face off against the Apex Friendship Patriots on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with D.H. Conley sitting on three straight wins and Apex Friendship on seven.
D.H. Conley is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out South View 3-2. Three seems to be a good number for the Vikings as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Kendall Howard
| 05/08/25 vs South View | 9 |
| 05/06/25 vs Jack Britt | 8 |
| 05/01/25 vs Northside - Jacksonville | 5 |
| 04/28/25 @ Bear Grass Charter | 6 |
| 04/24/25 vs New Bern | 21 |
| + 16 more games |
Kendall Howard spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on nine hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 21 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Harper Bradley and Lena Zurface did most of the damage at the plate: Bradley went 1-for-3 with one home run, while Zurface went a perfect 2-for-2 with one double and one RBI. That home run marked the first that Bradley has launched this season.
Meanwhile, Apex Friendship sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-4 win over Clayton on Friday.
Apex Friendship also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Sydney Joyce gave up three earned (and one unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up 11 Ks.
At the plate, India Matute was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one double.
Apex Friendship's victory was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. As for D.H. Conley, their victory bumped their record up to 19-5.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. D.H. Conley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .330. However, it's not like Apex Friendship struggles in that department as they've averaged .437. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
D.H. Conley couldn't quite get it done against Apex Friendship in their previous meeting back in March as they fell 6-2. Can the Vikings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
