If East Duplin was feeling good fresh off their 11-1 takedown of Kinston last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The East Duplin Panthers fell just short of the Richlands Wildcats by a score of 10-9 on Wednesday. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Panthers, who until this game were averaging 3.63 runs allowed.
Austin Rouse and Jesus Mojica stepped up to the plate in a big way. Rouse scored two runs while going 2-for-5, while Mojica went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double. The dominant performance gave Mojica a new career-high in RBI. Sawyer Marshburn was another key player, going 3-for-5 with one RBI.

Panthers
| 03/19/25 vs Richlands | 12 |
| 03/18/25 vs Kinston | 9 |
| 03/18/25 vs Kinston | 8 |
| 03/12/25 @ James Kenan | 8 |
| 03/06/25 @ Clinton | 8 |
They weren't the only ones working in the hit department: East Duplin kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
East Duplin suffered their first home loss, dropping their record down to 4-4. As for Richlands, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 4-3.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. East Duplin will venture away from home to take on Wallace-Rose Hill at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. East Duplin is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season. As for Richlands, they will head out to challenge Swansboro at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The last four games Richlands has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
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