Fike hasn't had much luck against C.B. Aycock recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Demons will challenge the Golden Falcons at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Wednesday, Fike was able to grind out a solid win over Smithfield-Selma, taking the game 7-3. The Demons haven't had any issues with the Spartans recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive victory against them.
CJ Summerlin was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Evan Ferrell, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, C.B. Aycock narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past East Wake 4-3.
Jones Winters made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Dalton Smith, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and two RBI. He also scored a run, marking his first of the season. Janeson Steele was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-2.
C.B. Aycock has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-9 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Fike, their record now sits at 5-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Fike has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like C.B. Aycock struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Fike suffered a grim 11-4 defeat to C.B. Aycock when the teams last played back in March. Can the Demons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
