Softball Game Preview: White Oak Vikings vs. Jacksonville Cardinals

Vikings

Runs

03/07/25 vs North Brunswick	6
03/03/25 vs Jacksonville	7
02/28/25 @ East Carteret	7
02/26/25 @ Southwest Onslow	16
02/24/25 @ New Bern	0

White Oak is 1-9 against Jacksonville since May of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The White Oak Vikings will square off against the Jacksonville Cardinals at 6:00 p.m. White Oak is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.

On Friday, White Oak had just enough and edged out North Brunswick 6-5. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Vikings.

Alyssa Carkhuff was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. That's the fewest hits she has allowed since back in April of 2024. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two doubles. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March of 2024.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jenna Banks, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double. That double was her first of the season.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville came into Friday's game having lost six straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They were the clear victor by a 9-1 margin over Swansboro on Friday. The game was the first time the Cardinals have beaten the Pirates on their field since April 28, 2021.

White Oak now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Jacksonville, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-4.

White Oak skirted past Jacksonville 7-6 when the teams last played on Monday. The rematch might be a little tougher for White Oak since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.