Softball Game Preview: Triton Hawks vs. Western Harnett Eagles

The Triton Hawks will venture away from home to challenge the Western Harnett Eagles at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Triton is coming into the game on a three-game losing streak.

Triton lost 11-1 to Harnett Central on Thursday. The contest marked the Hawks' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Western Harnett). They put the hurt on E.E. Smith with a sharp 20-2 victory on Thursday. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by seven runs or more this season.

Morgan McAuley was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. Those four runs gave her a new career-high.

In other batting news, Audrina Gibson was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four runs, four RBI, and one triple. Those four runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Grace Bancroft, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.

Western Harnett kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in six consecutive contests.

Western Harnett is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 12 matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-7 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Triton, their loss dropped their record down to 13-5.

Everything went Triton's way against Western Harnett when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Triton made off with a 20-2 victory. Do the Hawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.