vs
| 04/16/24 - Home | 8-1 W |
| 03/21/24 - Away | 13-1 W |
| 04/18/23 - Away | 9-5 W |
| 03/23/23 - Home | 3-0 W |
| 04/12/22 - Home | 9-0 W |
| + 5 more games |
North Duplin has gone 9-1 against Lakewood recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The North Duplin Rebels will look to defend their home field against the Lakewood Leopards at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While North Duplin's victory against Neuse Charter wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. North Duplin narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Neuse Charter 7-6. The victory continues a trend for the Rebels in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now won eight in a row.
Wesley Holmes was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. He also put up three RBI, which were his first of the season. Garris Warren was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
North Duplin hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Neuse Charter struck out 11 times.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Lakewood). Their pitcher stepped up to hand Union a 17-0 shutout on Tuesday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Leopards with their most commanding win of the season.
The team relied heavily on Aden Norton, who scored three runs and stole Two bases. while going 3-for-3. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Caleb Neal, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Lakewood's win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-5. As for North Duplin, their victory bumped their record up to 2-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Duplin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lakewood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
North Duplin took their win against Lakewood when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 8-1. Does North Duplin have another victory up their sleeve, or will Lakewood turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
