Softball Game Preview: Hickory Hawks vs. New Kent Trojans

The Hickory Hawks will square off against the New Kent Trojans at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

If Hickory beats New Kent with 13 runs on Thursday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. Everything went the Hawks' way against Bayside on Wednesday as they made off with a 13-3 win. The Hawks' victory was nothing new given the team hasn't lost yet this season.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask New Kent). They were the clear victors by a 25-1 margin over Bruton on Friday. The win was just business as usual for the Trojans, who after four games remain undefeated this season.

Abbie Kegley was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one double and one RBI. That double marked the first that she hit this season.

In other batting news, Hannah Tober was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Mariah Leonard, who went 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBI.

New Kent kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in May of 2024.

Hickory pushed their record up to 5-0 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.4 runs on average over those games. As for New Kent, their victory bumped their record up to 4-0.