Hawks Advance to Round 3
The stands were packed for postseason baseball at North Lenoir this Friday as the #4 seed North Lenoir pulled off a dramatic late comeback to defeat the #13 seed Ayden-Grifton Chargers 6-5. North Lenoir, leading 4-3 in the top of the seventh, saw their advantage slip away before rallying to secure the win.
The scoring opened early for North Lenoir, with Tyler Sears' first-inning double bringing in the first run. The Hawks' offense maintained a steady rhythm throughout the game, racking up a total of 11 hits. Notable contributors included Sears, Jackson Jenkins, Jacob Suggs, Hunter Coulombe, and junior Blake Crawford, all of whom collected multiple hits.
On the mound, Eli Kearney delivered a sterling performance. Despite not having thrown since before Easter break, Kearney pitched four and two-thirds innings, allowing only two runs on four hits and striking out two. His efforts did not go unnoticed, with Head Coach Jackson Massey stating, “He hasn't thrown since before Easter break, he gave us 93 pitches of quality baseball, he did a really good job of keeping us in this game.”
Luke Cannon, who started the game for the Hawks, surrendered three runs on one hit over two and a third innings while striking out three. Reflecting on the victory and Kearney's contribution, Cannon said, “It feels really good, and Eli threw his butt off for us."
The turning point came in the seventh inning, thanks to Blake Crawford's heroics. With the game on the line, Crawford doubled into the right-center field gap to score the game-tying run. He then capitalized on a wild pitch to score once more, walking it off for North Lenoir. Speaking about his mindset during that decisive at-bat, Crawford said, “I was sitting fastball, I didn't want to get caught guessing.”
Following this thrilling victory, North Lenoir now prepares to face #21 seed Camden County (15-9) on Tuesday in the third round of the 2A NCHSSA baseball playoffs. The excitement is palpable as the Hawks look to extend their winning run in this high-stakes matchup.
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