The East Duplin Panthers will face off against the North Lenoir Hawks at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
East Duplin had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the seven-run drubbing they dealt Wallace-Rose Hill on Thursday. The Panthers were the clear victors by an 8-1 margin over the Bulldogs.
Meanwhile, North Lenoir had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They blew past the Bulldogs 11-1.
Hallie Fowler and Maddie Rouse made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Fowler pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Meanwhile, Rouse pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances. At the plate, Fowler went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double, while Rouse went 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lakyn Whitley, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Alyssa Hatcher, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
North Lenoir hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive games.
North Lenoir's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-2. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for East Duplin, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 9-5 record this season.
East Duplin couldn't quite finish off North Lenoir in their previous meeting back in March of 2024 and fell 13-11. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
