The Puckett Wolves will square off against the Raleigh Lions at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Puckett sitting on four straight wins and Raleigh on five.
Raleigh's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Friday: Puckett hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. The Wolves never let St. Andrew's Episcopal get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory on Thursday. The Wolves might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by nine runs or more this season.
Raegan Hardin
| 04/03/25 vs St. Andrew's Episcopal | 15 |
| 02/10/25 @ Mendenhall | 9 |
| 02/08/25 vs Richland | 6 |
| 02/08/25 vs Mendenhall | 5 |
| 02/28/25 @ Florence | 4 |
Raegan Hardin was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 15 over six innings pitched. Those 15 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Marleigh Smith and Brooke Shivers did most of the damage at the plate: Smith scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Shivers scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3. That stolen base marked the first that Smith snagged this season. Another player making a difference was Aubrey Pardue, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Raleigh hadn't done well against Pisgah recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Lions had just enough and edged out the Dragons 5-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Lions have posted since February 25th.
Haylee Buffington was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played. Kinley Delcid was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Raleigh kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.6 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 10.6.
Puckett pushed their record up to 12-6-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for Raleigh, their victory bumped their record up to 9-12-1.
Raleigh's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Puckett has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Raleigh, though, as they've been averaging only 2.4 strikeouts. Will Puckett keep running through batters, or will the Lions buck the trend?
Puckett beat Raleigh 5-1 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Do the Wolves have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Lions turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
