Richlands is 1-9 against East Duplin since February of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. A feisty cat fight will be fought as Richlands Wildcats face off against East Duplin Panthers at 6:30 p.m. The last three games Richlands has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Richlands took a six-run defeat the last time they faced off against Clinton, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Richlands skirted past Clinton 6-5.
Lucas Roberts
| 03/07/25 vs East Duplin | 3 |
| 03/04/25 @ South Lenoir | 2 |
| 03/14/25 vs Clinton | 1 |
Lucas Roberts made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Richlands is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 1-2 otherwise. Roberts was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. That stolen base marked the first that he snagged this season.
Roberts wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Marcus Branthoover, who went 1-for-2 with one triple and one run. Jacob Flemming also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, everything went East Duplin's way against Kinston on Tuesday as East Duplin made off with an 11-1 victory. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won three matches by ten runs or more so far this season.
Like Richlands, East Duplin also got a great game from a two-way player: Jack Tuck. On the mound, he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Tuck was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing Two bases. while going 1-for-1. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Calvin Harper, who scored two runs and stole Three bases. while going 2-for-2. Colton Holmes was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
East Duplin has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. The win got Richlands back to even at 3-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Richlands has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like East Duplin struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Richlands skirted past East Duplin 7-5 in their previous meeting two weeks ago. The rematch might be a little tougher for Richlands since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
