Softball Game Preview: Hickory Red Tornadoes vs. East Lincoln Mustangs

Hickory hasn't had much luck against East Lincoln recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Hickory Red Tornadoes will be playing in front of their home fans against the East Lincoln Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Last Friday, Hickory didn't have quite enough to beat Newton-Conover and fell 9-8.

Alyssa Wood

Batters Struck Out (Career)

02/28/25 @ Newton-Conover	12
03/11/24 vs North Wilkes	9
03/19/24 @ St. Stephens	8
02/25/25 vs Newton-Conover	7
04/30/24 vs East Lincoln	7

Alyssa Wood spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and six unearned) runs on three hits and racked up 12 Ks. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in strikeouts.

On the hitting side, Layla Abernathy was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Madelyn Morphis, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.

Meanwhile, East Lincoln lost 11-1 to Crest on Thursday.

Hickory's defeat dropped their record down to 1-1. As for East Lincoln, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 1-1.

Hickory might still be hurting after the 14-2 defeat they got from East Lincoln in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can Hickory avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.