Softball Preview: Dixon Bulldogs vs. East Duplin Panthers
Dixon is 2-7 against East Duplin since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Dixon Bulldogs will head out on the road to square off against the East Duplin Panthers at 1:00 p.m. Dixon is coming into the contest hot, having won their last six games.
Last Thursday, Dixon beat North Brunswick 8-3.
Dixon got a great performance from Nadine Barren as she struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Barren has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Zoe Altamirano was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Renee C roberts-kelly, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, East Duplin pushed their score all the way to 11 on Wednesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell just short of North Lenoir by a score of 13-11. East Duplin has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Ava Noble was cooking despite her team's loss, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Kinsley Bond was another key contributor, going 3-for-5 with four RBI and a run.
Even though they lost, East Duplin didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with eight strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North Lenoir only tossed four.
Dixon's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-3. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs per game. As for East Duplin, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 7-6.
Saturday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Dixon hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .327. However, it's not like East Duplin struggles in that department as they've averaged .346. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Dixon couldn't quite finish off East Duplin in their previous meeting back in March of 2019 and fell 9-7. Thankfully for Dixon, Taylor Jones (who tossed nine innings while giving up four earned (and three unearned) runs off 12 hits) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
