The North Lenoir Hawks are taking a road trip to challenge the East Duplin Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
East Duplin will be up against a hot North Lenoir squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. The Hawks were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over Wallace-Rose Hill on Tuesday.
Hallie Fowler and Maddie Rouse made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, 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 bat, 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. Alyssa Hatcher was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
North Lenoir always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .613. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .512 or higher in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, East Duplin made easy work of Wallace-Rose Hill on Thursday and carried off an 8-1 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.
North Lenoir pushed their record up to 10-2 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.7 runs over those games. As for East Duplin, their record is now 9-5.
North Lenoir skirted past East Duplin 13-11 when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Will the Hawks repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
