The Union Pines Vikings will head out to challenge the Western Harnett Eagles at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Union Pines sitting on seven straight victories and Western Harnett on five.
On Wednesday, Union Pines earned a 10-5 win over Lee County.
Union Pines got a massive performance out of Trinity Whitt, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-4. Elizabeth Andrews also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Union Pines hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in seven consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Western Harnett made easy work of Overhills on Tuesday and carried off a 10-2 victory. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won four contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Morgan McAuley was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off seven hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Western Harnett let Ava Corley and Audrina Gibson run wild. Corley scored a run while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances, while Gibson scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryley Brewer, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.
Union Pines' win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-5. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Western Harnett, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
Western Harnett's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Union Pines has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.1 hits per game. It's a different story for Western Harnett, though, as they've been averaging 8.7 hits. Given Union Pines' sizable advantage in that area, Western Harnett will need to find a way to close that gap.
Union Pines came out on top in a nail-biter against Western Harnett in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, sneaking past 4-3. Will Union Pines repeat their success, or does Western Harnett has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
