Baseball Game Preview: Buford Yellow Jackets vs. Cheraw Braves

Buford and Cheraw are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2018, but likely not for long. Buford will head out to square off against Cheraw at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Buford's pitching crew has only allowed 3.1 runs per game this season, so Cheraw's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Buford will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Parkwood on Wednesday. Buford was the clear victor by a 13-3 margin over Parkwood. The Yellow Jackets might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matchups by six runs or more this season.

Gavin Love looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he gave up only two walks, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024.

Gavin Lowery

Runs (Career)

03/26/25 vs Parkwood	3
03/18/25 @ Chesterfield	2
04/16/24 @ York Prep	2
04/10/24 vs Piedmont	2
04/09/24 vs Chesterfield	2

On the hitting side, Gavin Lowery was a standout: he scored three runs while going 2-for-4. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jackson Sellers, who scored three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Cheraw had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.2 runs) and they went ahead and made it seven. They never let the Yellow Jackets get on the board and left with a 3-0 win.

Cheraw's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Brayden Michael, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2. Michael is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last five games he's played.

Cheraw's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-2. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Buford, their win bumped their record up to 9-2.

Buford couldn't quite get it done against Cheraw when the teams last played on Tuesday as they fell 3-0. Can Buford avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.