The Charlotte Latin Hawks will face off against the Wesleyan Christian Academy Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Charlotte Latin is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.
On Friday, Charlotte Latin came up short against Providence Day and fell 12-9. The Hawks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Hudson Shoup was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Bancroft, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, Wesleyan Christian Academy rose to the challenge on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past the Buccaneers 5-4. The win was nothing new for the Trojans as they're now sitting on five straight.
Josh Hammond made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one run and one double.
In other pitching news, Wesleyan Christian Academy got a great performance from Sam Cozart as he struck out 14 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits (and not a single walk). Cozart also tossed no walks, which is notable because the Trojans are 6-2 when he allows at most two walks, but 8-9 otherwise.
Back at the plate, Cole Bowman was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Nick Papciak, who got on base in two of his five plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Wesleyan Christian Academy pushed their record up to 14-11 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Charlotte Latin, their defeat dropped their record down to 18-5-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Charlotte Latin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Wesleyan Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.7 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.
