The Ashley Screaming Eagle will venture away from home to take on the Broughton Capitals at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Ashley is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Ashley is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of North Carolina's top teams: New Hanover, who was ranked 20th at the time (Ashley was ranked second). Ashley skirted past New Hanover 5-3. That's two games straight that the Screaming Eagle have won by exactly two runs.
Jackson Lee spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits.
On the hitting side, Quinn Bentley was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Tanner Berry was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Broughton, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Leesville Road on Friday, sneaking past 5-3.
Mason Hawkins made a splash while hitting and pitching. He pitched six innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. Hawkins was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other pitching news, Brady Hubbell looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Broughton is undefeated when he allows at most two walks, but 3-4 otherwise.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Matthew Vannoy, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Those three runs gave him a new career-high.
Ashley pushed their record up to 9-0 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games. As for Broughton, their record is now 6-4.
Ashley skirted past Broughton 2-0 in their previous meeting back in June of 2021. The rematch might be a little tougher for Ashley since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
