Smithfield-Selma was the 5-1 winner over South Garner when they last played one another on Tuesday, but their luck changed this time around. The Spartans fell just short of the Titans by a score of 7-6 on Thursday.
Andrew Hartman put in work no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the first time he hasn't allowed a single hit since back in February. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI.

Aaron Rodriguez
| 03/05/26 vs Eastern Wayne | 3 |
| 03/26/26 @ South Garner | 2 |
| 03/02/26 @ Eastern Wayne | 2 |
| 02/27/26 vs Union | 2 |
| 02/25/26 @ Union | 2 |
In other batting news, Aaron Rodriguez was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Smithfield-Selma: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 1-5 otherwise. Alex Macias was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI.
Smithfield-Selma's defeat was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 5-6. As for South Garner, they moved to 5-5 with that victory, which also ended their three-game losing streak.
Looking ahead, Smithfield-Selma will challenge Franklinton at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Spartans' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Red Rams have averaged an impressive 6.2 runs per game this season. As for South Garner, they will head out on the road to challenge Cleveland at 7:00 p.m. on Monday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps