Softball Recap: Laney Continues Road Dominance on Thursday

It may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Laney ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They came out on top against the Hoggard Vikings by a score of 11-8. The victory continues a trend for the Buccaneers in their matchups with the Vikings: they've now won three in a row.

Brileigh Mathews

Hits (Career)

03/20/25 @ Hoggard	4
02/28/25 @ Harnett Central	3
05/13/24 vs Clayton	3
03/12/25 @ Whiteville	2
05/02/24 vs Topsail	2

Brileigh Mathews made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 4-for-5. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in hits.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Layla Carr, who scored a run while going 2-for-6. Another player making a difference was Isabella Stevens, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI and one double.

Laney was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .381. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .381 or higher in three consecutive games.

Laney pushed their record up to 7-2 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.3 runs over those games. As for Hoggard, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 4-3.

Laney and Hoggard should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps North Carolina Rankings. Laney will face off against North Brunswick at 6:30 p.m. on March 28th up 71 places (33 vs. 104). Laney's pitching crew has only allowed 3.2 runs per game this season, so Hoggard's hitters will have their work cut out for them. Meanwhile, Hoggard (ranked 74th) will meet Ashley (ranked 296th) at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Laney is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.6 runs per game this season.