Lenoir City hasn't had much luck against Heritage recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Panthers will head out on the road to take on the Mountaineers at 5:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Lenoir City's victory against Sequoyah wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Panthers had just enough and edged out the Chiefs 3-2. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last three times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Branson Dean was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off seven hits (and not a single walk). Dean was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run.
In other batting news, Hunter Click was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one run and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April. Conner Turpin was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Heritage came tearing into Monday's game with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Flames with a sharp 16-1 win. The Mountaineers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 18 contests by six runs or more this season.
Gaven French was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Another player making a difference was Gavin Hughes, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Heritage always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .605. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Apostolic Christian Academy only posted an OBP of .158.
Heritage pushed their record up to 23-10 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.6 runs over those games. As for Lenoir City, their record now sits at 10-22.
Lenoir City might still be hurting after the 9-2 defeat they got from Heritage in their previous meeting last Tuesday. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
