Softball Game Preview: Pine Tree Pirates vs. Henderson Lions

The Pine Tree Pirates will challenge the Henderson Lions at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The timing isn't great for Pine Tree: they have been struggling with seven straight losses at home dating back to last season, while Henderson has snatched up five consecutive wins on the road.

Pine Tree is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Chapel Hill with a sharp 17-3 win on Friday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.

Taylor Burkhart

Batters Struck Out (Career)

03/07/25 @ Chapel Hill	14
03/03/25 @ Spring Hill	9
02/14/25 vs McKinney	8
02/28/25 vs Beckville	7
02/04/25 vs Sulphur Springs	4

Taylor Burkhart made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 14 over six innings pitched. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in strikeouts. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4. She also hit a triple, marking her first of the season.

In other batting news, Jasmine Byrd was a standout: she scored four runs and stole Three bases. while going 3-for-5. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in February. The team also got some help courtesy of Mo Rougely, who went 2-for-5 with one home run and six RBI.

Pine Tree kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Henderson posted their closest win since March 26, 2024 on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Hudson, sneaking past 4-3. The victory continues a trend for the Lions in their matchups with the Hornets: they've now won three in a row.

Henderson's win bumped their record up to 13-4-1. As for Pine Tree, their victory bumped their record up to 6-10-1.

Pine Tree skirted past Henderson 3-2 when the teams last played back in February of 2016. Does Pine Tree have another victory up their sleeve, or will Henderson turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.