The Union Academy Cardinals will challenge the North Stokes Vikings on Friday. Union Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.1 runs per game this season.
Union Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They walked away with a 12-8 win over Mount Airy.
Brady Willis looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
Ethan Rowe
| 05/06/25 vs Mount Airy | 3 |
| 03/19/25 @ Ballantyne Ridge | 2 |
| 03/19/24 vs Gray Stone Day | 2 |
| 04/28/25 vs Gray Stone Day | 1 |
| 04/21/25 vs Corvian Community | 1 |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ethan Rowe, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Christian Pawl, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Union Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .590. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, North Stokes waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They were the clear victors by a 7-1 margin over the Bulldogs. The result was nothing new for the Vikings, who have now won 13 contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Elijah Whicker made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed seven innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. Whicker was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI.
In other batting news, Cash Dalton was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Jackson Lester was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
North Stokes' victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-7. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Union Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 10-15.
Union Academy suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to North Stokes in their previous meeting back in May of 2017. Can the Cardinals avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
