The North Lenoir Hawks will face off against the Ayden - Grifton Chargers on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
North Lenoir is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Everything went their way against East Duplin as North Lenoir made off with a 7-1 win. The result was nothing new for North Lenoir, who have now won eight matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Jackson Jenkins made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 13 over 6.1 innings pitched. Jenkins has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive pitching appearances. Jenkins was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Garrett Byrd, who went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Mason Sasser, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-3.
Meanwhile, Ayden - Grifton entered their tilt with Roanoke Rapids with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They were the clear victor by a 9-2 margin over the Yellowjackets on Tuesday.
Like North Lenoir, Ayden - Grifton also got a great game from a two-way player: Josh Tripp. On the mound, Tripp struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Ashton Watkins pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At the plate, Tripp scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in two of his five plate appearances, while Watkins got on base in all four of his plate appearances with a stolen base, two RBI, and a double.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Camden Wilson, who went 3-for-4 with six RBI, a run, and a double.
North Lenoir pushed their record up to 19-4 with that victory, which was their sixth straight at home. As for Ayden - Grifton, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-9 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Lenoir has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ayden - Grifton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.1. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
North Lenoir came out on top in a nail-biter against Ayden - Grifton when the teams last played back in May of 2023, sneaking past 6-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for North Lenoir since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps