The North Lenoir Hawks will square off against the Rosewood Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Friday, North Lenoir got the win against Southwest Onslow by a conclusive 18-4. The win continues a trend for the Hawks in their matchups with the Stallions: they've now won four in a row.
Maddie Rouse was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 4-for-4. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lakyn Whitley, who went 4-for-5 with one home run, two triples, and two stolen bases. That's the most triples she has posted since back in April of 2024. Alyssa Hatcher was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
North Lenoir was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Southwest Onslow only posted a batting average of .211.
Meanwhile, Rosewood waltzed into their game on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They were the clear victors by a 13-4 margin over the Wildcats.
Like North Lenoir, Rosewood also got a great game from a two-way player: McCandless St John. On the mound, she struck out 15 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. St John was also big at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Hayley Bedford was incredible, going 4-for-5 with two stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Kaitlyn Vernon, who scored four runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
North Lenoir's victory bumped their record up to 9-2. As for Rosewood, their win bumped their record up to 11-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. North Lenoir has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Rosewood struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
North Lenoir came out on top in a nail-biter against Rosewood in their previous meeting back in March of 2017, sneaking past 2-0. Will the Hawks repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
