Raleigh and Mize are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2016, but likely not for long. The Raleigh Lions will welcome the Mize Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Raleigh made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Enterprise, but they still couldn't quite topple them. Raleigh was the clear victors by a 10-4 margin over Enterprise on Saturday. The Lions' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Lydia Bryant
| 03/01/25 vs Enterprise | 4 |
| 04/06/24 @ Morton | 3 |
| 02/25/25 @ Morton | 2 |
| 04/05/24 vs St. Andrew's Episcopal | 2 |
| 02/27/24 vs Mize | 2 |
Raleigh let Lydia Bryant and Haylee Buffington run wild. Bryant went 4-for-5 with four RBI, one triple, and one run, while Buffington scored a run and stole two bases while going 4-for-4. Those four RBI gave Bryant a new career-high. Macie Harris was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
Raleigh kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Mize had already won seven in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13 runs) and they went ahead and made it eight on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 win over Seminary.
Ella Gordon spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on four hits and racked up nine Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on AK Easterling, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. She has been hot recently, having also posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Lila Gordon, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.
Mize's victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.1 runs on average over those games. As for Raleigh, their win bumped their record up to 3-6.
Raleigh suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Mize in their previous matchup on Monday. Can Raleigh avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
