Richlands hasn't had much luck against Croatan recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. A feisty cat fight will be fought as Richlands Wildcats face off against Croatan Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Richlands played in-conference for the first time on Friday and they got just the result they were looking for. They came out on top against White Oak by a score of 7-2. That looming 7-2 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Wildcats yet this season.
Jaden Goins
| 03/28/25 @ White Oak | 2 |
| 03/19/25 @ East Duplin | 1 |
| 03/14/25 vs Clinton | 1 |
| 03/07/25 vs East Duplin | 1 |
| 04/24/24 vs White Oak | 1 |
Jaden Goins and Lucas Roberts did most of the damage at the plate: Goins scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Roberts scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave Goins a new career-high in RBI (two). Ashton Courdle also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, Croatan got the win against Dixon on Friday by a conclusive 11-2. Considering the Cougars have won three games by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Harrison Thomas made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed six innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Jacob Woody was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Nathan Griffin, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Croatan's win bumped their record up to 5-3. As for Richlands, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.
Croatan's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Richlands has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Croatan, though, as they've been averaging only 2.6 strikeouts. Will Richlands keep running through batters, or will Croatan buck the trend?
Richlands might still be hurting after the 13-1 loss they got from Croatan in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can Richlands avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
