The Dudley Panthers will face off against the Burlington Christian Academy Royals at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Dudley will bounce into Monday's game after beating Eastern Guilford, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Dudley was the clear victor by a 15-4 margin over Eastern Guilford on Friday. Winning may never get old, but the Panthers sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Donovan Locklear
| 03/04/25 @ High Point Central | 4 |
| 02/26/25 @ Page | 4 |
| 03/28/25 vs Eastern Guilford | 3 |
| 03/25/25 @ Eastern Guilford | 3 |
| 03/21/25 vs Ben L. Smith | 3 |
| + 3 more games |
Donovan Locklear made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). The dominant performance also gave him a new career-low in walks (one). He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while going 3-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Dudley's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 5-1 (and 2-3 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Dudley got a massive performance out of Jayven Baize, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with six RBI, three runs, and one double. Dudley is undefeated when Baize posts two or more runs, but 1-4 otherwise. Brayden Jeffries was another key player, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple.
Dudley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Burlington Christian Academy had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. Everything went their way against the Patriots as they made off with a 13-7 win. Burlington Christian Academy's victory was all the more impressive since the Patriots were averaging only 3.83 runs allowed on the season.
Cohen Payne was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Anthony Valdez, who scored four runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4. Those four runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Mark Primm, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one run.
Burlington Christian Academy's win was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Dudley, their win bumped their record up to 7-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Dudley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Burlington Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
