Softball Game Preview: Hoke County Bucks vs. Lee County Yellow Jackets

The Hoke County Bucks will take on the Lee County Yellow Jackets at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Hoke County's favor as the team sits on four straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Lee County has been banged up by seven consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.

Hoke County will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Red Springs on Thursday. Hoke County was the clear victors by a 22-2 margin over Red Springs. The Bucks haven't had any issues with the Red Devils recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.

Niya Jones was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. What's more, she gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest she's had since back in April of 2024. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.

McKenzie Freeman

Doubles (Career)

03/06/25 vs Red Springs	2
02/26/25 vs St. Pauls	1
04/29/24 @ Southern Lee	1
04/19/24 @ Union Pines	1
04/02/24 @ Fairmont	1

In other batting news, Hoke County got a massive performance out of McKenzie Freeman, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave Freeman a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was Chica Amador, who scored three runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.

Hoke County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .793. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for Lee County's offense. They came up short against Union Pines on Tuesday, falling 12-0.

Lee County's loss dropped their record down to 0-2. As for Hoke County, their victory bumped their record up to 4-1.

Hoke County came out on top in a nail-biter against Lee County in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, sneaking past 5-4. Will Hoke County repeat their success, or does Lee County have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.