North Duplin is 9-1 against Lakewood since March of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The North Duplin Rebels will head out on the road to face off against the Lakewood Leopards at 6:00 p.m. Both teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
North Duplin put the finishing touches on their fourth blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They blew past Neuse Charter 17-2. The win was just what North Duplin needed coming off of a 14-4 loss in their prior match.
Esteban Santos Clark tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Tanner Kornegay was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 4-for-5. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Wesley Holmes, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Lakewood scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Union with a sharp 30-2 victory. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Samuel Johnson was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. Johnson was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Rylan Godbold, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with five runs, two stolen bases, and five RBI. Another player making a difference was Tyler Tew, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with six RBI, three runs, and a stolen base.
North Duplin now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Lakewood, their record now sits at 4-6.
Lakewood's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: North Duplin hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .351. It's a different story for Lakewood, though, as they've only averaged .234. Will they be able to contain North Duplin's hitters?
North Duplin was able to grind out a solid victory over Lakewood when the teams last played back in April of 2023, winning 9-5. Does North Duplin have another victory up their sleeve, or will Lakewood turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
