LA GRANGE — A potent offense, some shoddy defense, and a nearly unhittable pitcher was a combination the North Lenoir softball team couldn’t overcome Friday.
South Johnston pitcher Lauren Higgins tossed a two-hit shutout, her offense smacked five extra-base hits and the Hawks committed three errors in an 8-0 whitewashing that kept North Lenoir winless in Eastern Carolina 3A Conference play.
“We’re struggling right now, especially on offense,” Hawks coach Heather Carson said. “And until tonight we’ve been pretty solid on defense. Nothing really went right for us in this game.”
The Hawks (1-4, 0-4) have been shutout in consecutive outings and have managed just four runs total in their four league defeats.
Against South Johnston (4-2, 2-1) it was more of the same.
Higgins threw 5 2/3 hitless innings before Kaci Letchworth broke up the no-hit bid with a single to left.
Megan Lanier added an infield hit in the seventh for the Hawks, who advanced just one runner as far as second base.
Higgins walked one and fanned nine.
“They have a very good team,” Carson said. “Their pitcher was outstanding and they hit the ball hard.”
No one hit the ball harder than South Johnston’s Krista Collins. The junior leadoff batter fell a double short of the cycle, drove in two runs and scored three. Her home run to open the third cleared the left field fence with plenty of room to spare.
She tripled to deep left to start the game and added a run-scoring single in the fifth. The only time she was retired came on a drive to the center-field fence in her final at-bat.
The Trojans collected nine hits total. Four of their runs were unearned thanks to North Lenoir’s errors.
North Lenoir returns to action Wednesday when they face county rival South Lenoir.
S. Johnston 203 210 0—8 9 1
N. Lenoir 000 000 0—0 2 3
Higgins and Barbour; Robinson, Letchworth (4) and Greene, Stallings (4). W—Higgins. L—Robinson.