The Pinecrest Patriots will face off against the Laney Buccaneers at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Pinecrest has three straight victories, Laney has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Friday, Pinecrest got the win against Hoke County by a conclusive 15-1. The result was nothing new for the Patriots, who have now won 12 games by six runs or more so far this season.
William Chopping made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and not a single walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March.
In other pitching news, Taylor Graves looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March.
Seth Norris
| 04/24/26 vs Hoke County | 2 |
| 04/14/26 vs Pine Forest | 1 |
| 04/07/26 @ Pine Lake Prep | 1 |
| 03/18/26 vs Purnell Swett | 1 |
| 03/11/26 @ Pine Forest | 1 |
Back at the plate, Seth Norris was a standout: he went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Bohdi Robertson, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
Meanwhile, after soaring to ten runs the game before, Laney was a bit more limited in their matchup on Friday. They lost 8-1 to Hoggard. The contest marked the Buccaneers' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Laney saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Owen Gore, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Pinecrest's win bumped their record up to 17-5. As for Laney, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-6.
Pinecrest couldn't quite finish off Laney when the teams last played back in April of 2025 and fell 2-0. Can the Patriots avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
