Croatan hasn't had much luck against Richlands recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Cougars will head out to face off against the Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. Croatan is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.
Croatan's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Northside - Jacksonville with a sharp 19-0 win. Considering the Cougars have won four matchups by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Madison Denson made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those stolen bases marked the first that she has snagged this season.
In other batting news, Wyndham Fenton and Makenzie Gilbert did most of the damage at the plate: Fenton went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI, while Gilbert went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those stolen bases were Fenton's first of the season. Carrie Parker was another key player, getting on base in two of her three plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Croatan was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .833. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for Richlands' offense. They came up short against South Lenoir on Wednesday, falling 11-0. The game marked the first time this year in which the Wildcats were not able to get on the board.
Richlands saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cameron Cubas, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one double.
Croatan's record is now 6-3. As for Richlands, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-10.
Croatan couldn't quite get it done against Richlands in their previous meeting back in April of 2025 as they fell 5-2. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
