A feisty cat fight will be fought as Rockingham County Cougars face off against Dudley Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Rockingham County comes in on 11 and Dudley on four.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times Rockingham County and Atkins have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Friday. Rockingham County's pitcher stepped up to hand Atkins a 9-0 shutout. Considering the Cougars have won ten matchups by more than seven runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Not much got past Hudson Deel, who gave up just two hits and racked up 12 Ks to keep Atkins off the board. Furthermore, Deel didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in March.
Nate Revis
| 03/28/25 vs Atkins | 1 |
| 03/26/25 vs Morehead | 1 |
| 03/25/25 @ Atkins | 2 |
| 03/21/25 vs Eastern Guilford | 1 |
| 03/19/25 @ Morehead | 1 |
At the plate, Rockingham County let Nate Revis and Brady Ross run wild. Revis scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3, while Ross scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3. Revis is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Carter Matthews, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
Rockingham County was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .375 or higher in seven consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Dudley hadn't done well against Eastern Guilford recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Dudley put the hurt on Eastern Guilford with a sharp 15-4 victory. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven contests by ten runs or more this season.
Donovan Locklear was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). Locklear was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while going 3-for-4. Dudley is 5-1 when Locklear posts two or more stolen bases, but 2-3 otherwise.
In other batting news, Dudley got a massive performance out of Jayven Baize, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with six RBI, three runs, and one double. Baize is becoming a predictor of Dudley's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-4 when he doesn't). Landon Lennon also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Rockingham County's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.7 runs over those games. As for Dudley, their record now sits at 7-4.
Tuesday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Rockingham County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .376. However, it's not like Dudley struggles in that department as they've averaged .374. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Rockingham County skirted past Dudley 1-0 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rockingham County since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
