North Lenoir Cruises Past James Kenan, Sets Up Conference Title Showdown With South Lenoir

LA GRANGE — After a week off, the North Lenoir Hawks returned to the field with purpose and precision, routing James Kenan 14-3 on Tuesday to improve to 10-1 in East Central 2A softball play and 14-2 overall.

The win pushes the Hawks into a winner-take-all regular-season finale Thursday night at home against rival South Lenoir, with the conference championship hanging in the balance.

“It was a good win, and we did everything we had to do,” said North Lenoir head coach Colby Miller. “Coming off spring break, it’s been a little tough getting that energy and focus back, but I think the girls have done a great job locking in.”

Senior Allie Reaves led the charge with a 3-for-3 night at the plate, scoring twice and driving in a run. Maddie Rouse delivered a complete performance, going 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs while earning the win in the circle. Rouse allowed six hits and two earned runs over five innings, striking out six and walking just one.

North Lenoir put the game away early, scoring eight runs in the second inning and six more in the fourth. The Hawks racked up 13 hits and stole eight bases while capitalizing on five James Kenan errors.

Still, Miller saw areas for improvement despite the dominant effort.

“I think we beat ourselves up a little too much,” he said. “I told them at the start of the year—North Lenoir’s toughest opponent would be North Lenoir. But they’re putting the team first. We had five ground balls to second base that brought in runs. That’s team ball, and I’m proud of that.”

With South Lenoir looming Thursday—North Lenoir’s lone conference loss, a 2-0 defeat on March 28—Miller knows the stakes are high.

“We’ve been talking about it. The girls know how big this is,” Miller said. “We’ve been prepping all season for teams like South Lenoir and East Duplin. They’re well-coached, and we respect them, but our girls are ready.”

From the first pitch of the season, Miller says his team’s been dialed in.

“They’ve been locked in since before we got on the bus for that first away game,” he said. “They know what’s at stake. We’ve come a long way, and if we keep playing like this, I expect a deep playoff run.”