The Red Springs Red Devils are taking a road trip to take on the Hoke County Bucks at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Red Springs has three straight wins, Hoke County has 12 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Red Springs barely beat Forest Hills the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Red Springs put the hurt on Forest Hills with a sharp 12-1 victory on Tuesday. That looming 12-1 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Red Devils yet this season.
Xzavier Sinclair made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk). That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in February of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March of 2024.
Terry Locklear
| 03/04/25 vs Forest Hills | 1 |
| 03/04/25 vs Forest Hills | 1 |
| 02/28/25 vs Seventy-First | 1 |
| 02/26/25 @ East Columbus | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Terry Locklear, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Locklear is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season. TJ Ellerbe also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Red Springs always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .618. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Hoke County came up short against Scotland on Tuesday, falling 8-1. That's two games in a row now that the Bucks have lost by exactly seven runs.
Hoke County saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Emmanuel Parsons, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base.
Red Springs pushed their record up to 3-2 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Hoke County, their loss dropped their record down to 0-3.
Hoke County's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Red Springs has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .564. It's a different story for Hoke County, though, as they've only averaged .333. Will they be able to contain Red Springs' hitters?
Red Springs took their victory against Hoke County in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 11-1. Does Red Springs have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hoke County turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
