North Edgecombe extended their losing streak to six on Thursday, dropping them down to 2-8. They came up short against the North East Carolina Prep Huskies, falling 27-1. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Warriors of the 7-0 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April of 2024.
Jermari Barnes was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Barnes was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in both of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one run. That run marked the first that he has scored this season.
Barnes wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Xzayvier Kee, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base.
As for North East Carolina Prep, their victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-7. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games.
Like North Edgecombe, North East Carolina Prep also got a great game from a two-way player: Hunter Andrews. He struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Andrews also tossed a walk, which is notable because North East Carolina Prep is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 5-7 otherwise. Andrews was also big at the plate, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with one RBI.
In other batting news, Seth Peele was incredible, going 4-for-5 with six RBI, four runs, and one triple. Those six RBI gave him a new career-high. Collin Close was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
While North Edgecombe had to take the loss, they won't have to wait long to give it another shot: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.
