Washington and Hedgesville are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2023, but likely not for long. The Patriots are taking a road trip to take on the Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Washington is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.7 runs per game this season.
Washington is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of West Virginia's top teams: Spring Mills, who was ranked 20th at the time (Washington was ranked 12th). The Patriots walked away with a 9-5 win over the Cardinals on Friday. The victory continues a trend for the Patriots in their matchups with the Cardinals: they've now won five in a row.
Alex Danner
| 04/24/26 vs Spring Mills | 5 |
| 04/08/26 @ Carolina Forest | 4 |
| 03/31/26 vs Hedgesville | 4 |
| 03/24/26 vs Jefferson | 4 |
| 03/10/26 vs Boonsboro | 3 |
Alex Danner was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five). He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Connor Smith, who went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Landon Gauckler, who went 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
Hedgesville came out on top against Musselman on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run seventh inning. The Eagles sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-4 win over the Applemen.
Jay Viands spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on four hits and racked up 12 Ks.
At the plate, Hedgesville saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cason Plaugher, who went 1-for-3 with one run.
Washington's record is now 13-8. As for Hedgesville, their record now sits at 11-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Washington has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Hedgesville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Washington came out on top in a nail-biter against Hedgesville in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
