
vs

05/02/24 - Home | 0-3 L |
04/23/24 - Away | 0-10 L |
05/03/23 - Away | 2-9 L |
04/19/23 - Home | 7-2 W |
04/29/22 - Away | 3-11 L |
+ 5 more games |
Falls Lake and East Wake Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2018, but likely not for long. The Firebirds will challenge the Eagles at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Falls Lake's hitters haven't had much luck over their past three matchups, but Tuesday's contest will give them a chance to turn things around.
Friday just wasn't the day for Falls Lake's offense. They fell just short of Franklin Academy by a score of 2-0 on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Firebirds have suffered since February 28th.
Nick Denny spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on six hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Falls Lake saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kameron Hill, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
Meanwhile, East Wake Academy entered their tilt with NCSSM: Durham on Monday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They were the clear victors by a 15-5 margin over the Unicorns. Considering the Eagles have won 12 games by more than nine runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Lane Collier made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Collier was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 3-for-3. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on James Duffield, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three runs. Another player making a difference was Dexter Benton, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base.
East Wake Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .391. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .391 or higher in five consecutive matchups.
East Wake Academy pushed their record up to 14-3 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.0 runs over those games. As for Falls Lake, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 9-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Falls Lake has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like East Wake Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Falls Lake couldn't quite get it done against East Wake Academy in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 as they fell 3-0. Can the Firebirds avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.