Baseball Recap: Western Harnett's Luck Changes for the Better on Thursday

It may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Western Harnett ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out the Princeton Bulldogs 7-6. The victory was some much needed relief for the Eagles as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.

Bryson Pope

Batters Struck Out (Career)

04/24/25 @ Princeton	11
04/17/25 @ Triton	7
04/10/25 @ E.E. Smith	6
03/14/25 vs Pine Forest	5
04/23/24 @ E.E. Smith	5

Bryson Pope made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 4-for-5 with one run, one double, and one RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Dariel Pagan, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Western Harnett's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 3-1 (and 3-15 when he doesn't). Haden Mazzullo was another key player, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two RBI and one run.

Western Harnett's win bumped their record up to 6-16. As for Princeton, their defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-6.

Western Harnett does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Princeton, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Beddingfield at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.