The Hobbton Wildcats experienced both sides of the game in a quick turnaround last week, dropping a hard-fought 5-3 contest on the road against the Clinton Dark Horses on Wednesday, March 18, before bouncing back with a strong 3-1 conference victory over the North Duplin Rebels at home the following day.
The two-game stretch not only showcased Hobbton’s resilience, but also highlighted a team beginning to find its rhythm in all three phases — pitching, defense, and timely hitting.
3/18 — Clinton 5, Hobbton 3
Despite the loss, Hobbton head coach Jackson McLamb came away encouraged by his team’s effort, particularly their ability to battle back late and clean up key areas of concern.
“Oh, super proud of the guys, they work really hard. We’re just continuing to get better,” McLamb expressed. “Nathan Neal threw the whole game for us. He really found a groove in the second and third innings and got us through the whole game, which was big, especially going into the North Duplin game.”
Neal’s complete-game effort on the mound provided stability for the Wildcats, allowing them to stay within striking distance throughout. At the plate, Hobbton showed signs of progress, consistently putting pressure on Clinton’s defense.
“The bats looked a lot better this week,” McLamb noted. “We were swinging the bat a lot better. We were a lot more aggressive. We put ourselves in good positions. We had runners in scoring position several times. We just weren’t able to get the big hit to get them in.”
Even in defeat, the Wildcats refused to fold, mounting a late push that nearly flipped the outcome.
“That last inning, we put ourselves in a good position,” McLamb added. “I just told the guys, that’s how the game works. Sometimes you just got to put yourself in a good position and just keep working.”
Defensively, Hobbton also showed improvement—an area of emphasis early in the season.
“I definitely think we’re starting to get a lot better on the defensive side,” McLamb explained. “I think we limited two errors, which was pretty good in the Clinton game. Even those came from being a little overly aggressive.”
3/19 — Hobbton 3, North Duplin 1
Less than 24 hours later, the Wildcats turned those lessons into results. Hosting conference rival North Duplin, Hobbton delivered one of its more complete performances of the young season.
Behind a strong outing on the mound from Caden Martin, Hobbton controlled the tempo early and relied on clean defense and timely hitting to secure the win. Martin kept the Rebels off balance throughout, while the defense backed him up with a flawless performance in the field.
“We had a really good game defensively,” McLamb emphasized. “We had a lot of putouts in the field, which was huge for us, keeping our pitch count down with Caden Martin… I don’t think we had a single error in that game.”
Offensively, Hobbton capitalized on its opportunities, stringing together quality at-bats and manufacturing runs when needed. The more aggressive approach at the plate — something McLamb highlighted after the Clinton game — carried over into the conference win.
The quick turnaround between games proved to be more of a benefit than a challenge.
“I think they’ve got the endurance,” McLamb said. “After the Clinton game and the improvements that we made throughout, it really led us into that game… we came in with a fresh mind. I could tell pregame we were really amped up and ready to go.”
That energy translated into a focused and prepared performance from first pitch to final out, as the Wildcats handled a North Duplin team McLamb knew would present a tough test.
“We knew North Duplin was going to be tough. They’ve got athletes over there,” he remarked. “But we know if we can play well and up to our standard, we can compete and win any game on the schedule.”
Finding their identity
As conference play begins to take shape, McLamb believes his team is trending in the right direction, with noticeable growth in both execution and mindset.
“I expect us to compete every single day,” he said. “We can’t look ahead too far. We’ve just got to focus on each game one at a time. I have high expectations. I think this group is going to be right in the thick of things.”
With improved defense, more aggressive at-bats, and solid pitching performances beginning to stack up, Hobbton appears to be settling into form at the right time.
“The good thing about our conference is everybody is pretty competitive,” McLamb added. “Every single game we play is going to be a hard-fought battle… but I’m excited for the guys. We’re just going to keep working hard and see where everything falls.”
A narrow loss followed by a composed conference win — Hobbton’s midweek stretch may ultimately serve as a turning point as the Wildcats continue navigating the heart of their schedule.