The Swain County Maroon Devils will take on the Mountain Heritage Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Swain County is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Piedmont Community Charter 13-2. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Maroon Devils considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Will Holden
| 05/06/25 @ Piedmont Community Charter | 7 |
| 04/28/25 @ Robbinsville | 9 |
| 04/04/25 vs Andrews | 10 |
| 03/28/25 @ Hayesville | 7 |
| 03/25/25 vs Hayesville | 7 |
| + 2 more games |
Will Holden was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jones Robinson, who went 1-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Corey Stillwell, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Swain County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .541. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Leadership Academy typically has all the answers at home, but on Tuesday Mountain Heritage proved too difficult a challenge. They came out on top against the Falcons by a score of 9-2 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game).
Like Swain County, Mountain Heritage also got a great game from a two-way player: Caden Carrol. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Carrol was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. He has become a key player for Mountain Heritage: the team is 6-2 when he posts at least two runs, but 4-9 otherwise.
In other batting news, Mountain Heritage got a massive performance out of Brayden Deyton, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Deyton is becoming a predictor of the Cougars' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 4-11 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Branson Fox, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Mountain Heritage has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-11 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Swain County, their win bumped their record up to 12-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Swain County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Mountain Heritage struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
