Softball Game Preview: Southern Wayne Saints vs. Fike Demons

The Southern Wayne Saints will head out on the road to face off against the Fike Demons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Southern Wayne will be strutting in after a victory while Fike will be coming in after a loss.

Southern Wayne will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Friday, then bounced right back against Smithfield-Selma on Tuesday. Southern Wayne blew past Smithfield-Selma 16-8. The Saints' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

Morgan Brimberry spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and seven unearned) runs on three hits and racked up ten Ks.

At the plate, Payton Strickland and Makayla Smith did most of the damage at the plate: Strickland scored two runs while getting on base in four of her six plate appearances, while Smith scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in two of her six plate appearances. Those two runs gave Strickland a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jayla Hawkins, who scored a run while getting on base in four of her six plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Fike was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 5-3 heartbreaker at the hands of East Wake. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Demons have suffered against the Warriors since March 3, 2017.

Fike saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Katie Sharp, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base.

Southern Wayne's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-10. As for Fike, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-9.

Southern Wayne took their victory against Fike in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 14-4. Will Southern Wayne repeat their success, or does Fike has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.