East Henderson hasn't had much luck against Franklin recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Eagles will challenge the Panthers at 6:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Having struggled with ten defeats in a row, East Henderson turned things around against Asheville on Friday. They blew past the Cougars 11-1. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Eagles' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Kelsey Barnwell
| 04/04/25 @ Asheville | 3 |
| 03/25/25 @ North Henderson | 1 |
| 03/01/25 @ Bessemer City | 1 |
| 02/28/25 vs Asheville | 1 |
| 02/27/25 vs Polk County | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Kelsey Barnwell, who got on base in four of her six plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Marybeth Blackwell was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
East Henderson hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Asheville struck out seven times.
Meanwhile, Franklin entered their tilt with West Henderson last Friday with six consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with seven. They put the hurt on the Falcons with a sharp 10-4 victory. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won seven games by six runs or more so far this season.
Suzanna Cabe made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off eight hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Ashlyn McConnell was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That home run marked the first that she launched this season. Another player making a difference was Makayla Pendergrass, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Franklin's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-3. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for East Henderson, their record now sits at 3-11.
East Henderson suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Franklin in their previous meeting back in March. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
