Hawks' Stunning Comeback Secures 8th Straight Win

In a remarkable showcase of grit and tenacity, the North Lenoir Hawks staged a stunning comeback, defeating the East Duplin Panthers 8-7 on Thursday, and preserving their eight-game winning streak.

Despite being down 7-0 in the fifth inning, the Hawks (13-2, 7-1 East Central Conference) rallied to settle the score with East Duplin (11-8, 5-4), who handed them their last loss on March 24.

Senior Luke Cannon was on the mound for the Hawks, delivering a stellar performance. Through four innings, he had not allowed a hit and struck out nine batters.

East Duplin's offense came alive in the top of the fifth, taking advantage of a fielder's choice, a couple of two-out, two-run errors, and a 2-run single to surge ahead 7-0. North Lenoir mounted their comeback in the bottom of the fifth with Hunter Coulombe's RBI single and Tyler Sears' RBI grounder, cutting the deficit to 7-2.

The Hawks' resurgence continued in the sixth, as they scored on a wild pitch and Jackson Jenkins smacked a bases-clearing triple, bringing the score to 7-6. Coulombe evened the game with another RBI single, paving the way for Luke Cannon's decisive moment. On a 1-0 count, Cannon connected for a crucial RBI single, giving North Lenoir their first lead of the game at 8-7.

Facing their last opportunity to strike back, East Duplin managed a two-out baserunner in the top of the seventh. However, Jenkins, who pitched the last 2 1/3 innings, extinguished their hopes by striking out the subsequent batter, securing the victory for the Hawks.

After the game, Cannon praised his team's perseverance, stating, "Offense woke up and we were able to put a lot of pressure on their defense, and we ended up coming back and getting the dub." He also expressed confidence in his teammates' ability to rally, saying, "I've seen this team do some really impressive things and have some impressive comebacks over the last two years. It wasn't so much that I just knew we were gonna come back, but all of the guys believed we could, and we had so many just competitive at-bats to get us back in it. Really proud of our grit tonight."

North Lenoir's next challenge comes against Southwest Onslow on Tuesday, a pivotal match-up with both teams boasting just one conference loss. The Hawks edged out a 7-6 victory in their first encounter on March 17.