Lakewood is 8-2 against Neuse Charter since April of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Lakewood Leopards will be playing in front of their home fans against the Neuse Charter Cougars at 5:00 p.m. Lakewood is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 8.8 runs per game this season.
Lakewood can finally bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 13-2 margin over Union. The victory was just what Lakewood needed coming off of a 15-0 loss in their prior contest.
Samuel Johnson was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. Johnson has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive pitching appearances. Johnson was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Landon Neal, who went 3-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and a stolen base. Another player making a difference was Tyler Tew, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Neuse Charter fell victim to North Duplin and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They suffered a rough 13-0 defeat at the hands of the Rebels. Neuse Charter has not had much luck with North Duplin recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.
Neuse Charter saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Landon Wendel, who went 1-for-2 with a stolen base.
Lakewood's win bumped their record up to 5-9. As for Neuse Charter, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Lakewood has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 6.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Neuse Charter struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Lakewood was able to grind out a solid victory over Neuse Charter when the teams last played back in April of 2023, winning 5-2. Will Lakewood repeat their success, or does Neuse Charter have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
