The East Duplin Panthers will be taking part in a tournament against the Southern Wayne Saints at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. East Duplin is coming into the match hot, having won their last three games.
East Duplin let North Lenoir stack four runs on them in the third inning on Thursday but luckily East Duplin prevailed anyway. The Panthers won by a run and slipped past the Hawks 5-4. That's two games straight that the Panthers have won by just one run.
Austin Rouse and Sawyer Marshburn did most of the damage at the plate: Rouse went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI, while Marshburn went a perfect 3-for-3 with one double and one RBI. That home run was Rouse's first of the season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Southern Wayne, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They blew past Fike 9-1 on Thursday. The win continues a trend for the Saints in their matchups with the Demons: they've now won six in a row.
Hayden Waller and Brayden McKee made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Waller pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, McKee didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched. Waller has become a key player for Southern Wayne: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most one hit, but 4-11 otherwise. At the plate, Waller went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double, while McKee got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs, one double, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases Waller has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tyler Odom, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Southern Wayne is 2-1 when Odom posts three or more hits, but 4-11 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Austin Watson, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.
East Duplin's victory bumped their record up to 10-6. As for Southern Wayne, their win bumped their record up to 6-12.
East Duplin came up short against Southern Wayne in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 5-2. Will the Panthers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
