No Rebellion This Time: South Lenoir Silences North Duplin 13-2
KINSTON, N.C. — South Lenoir kept its momentum rolling in the opening round of the Dick Broadcasting Easter Baseball Classic, powering past North Duplin 13-2 on Saturday at Historic Grainger Stadium.
The Blue Devils have now beaten the Rebels three times this season, outscoring them 35-13 across the series.
South Lenoir wasted no time getting on the board, plating four runs in the first inning. Matthew Rhodes sparked the offense with an RBI single, followed by a bases-loaded walk to Christian Coples and a two-run single from Austin Clements.
The bats stayed hot in the second and third innings. Braden Barnett delivered a sacrifice fly in the second, then added an RBI double in the third along with another run-scoring double from Clements. A five-run fourth inning blew the game wide open, highlighted by contributions from Jake Howard, Luke Potter, Noah Rouse, and Barnett, who finished the day with three RBIs.
On the mound, Clements started and went 2 2/3 innings, striking out four while allowing two earned runs. Barnett handled the rest, tossing 2 1/3 scoreless and hitless innings in relief.
“I felt good in the first two innings, but right after that I fell off a little bit,” Clements said. “Just wanted to throw strikes and let my defense work.”
Barnett echoed that approach. “Just try to locate and hit my spots and put it in play,” he said. “Not trying to strike everybody out or overpower anybody, just let my defense work.”
At the plate, Barnett kept things straightforward. “Just try to keep it simple and came up with runners on base, just try to score them,” he added.
Clements finished 2-for-2 with four RBIs, while Rhodes went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI. The Blue Devils also played error-free baseball in the field.
North Duplin managed two runs in the third inning but was held to five hits and committed six defensive errors.
South Lenoir advances to the second round of the Easter Classic and will face CB Aycock at 10 a.m. Monday.
