Baseball Game Preview: Lufkin Panthers vs. Lumberton Raiders

The Lufkin Panthers will be taking part in a tournament against the Lumberton Raiders at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Lufkin saw some tournament action on Thursday. They blew past Hardin-Jefferson 10-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.

Meanwhile, Lumberton put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. Their pitcher stepped up to hand West Brook a 7-0 shutout. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Raiders have posted since March 15, 2024.

Hudson Emerson made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over seven innings pitched. Emerson was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.

Emerson wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Talon White, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Another was Luke Cody, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.

Lumberton kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now hit at least eight hits every time they've taken the field this season.

Lufkin's record now sits at 2-0. As for Lumberton, their record is now 3-0.