BURLINGTON, N.C. – The Sock Puppets return to Burlington for their first home series of the year after playing the first pair of games in the young 2024 season. This weekend, Burlington will take on the Johnson City Doughboys in a three-game series.
Despite a challenging start, Burlington enters the weekend with a determined spirit. Having dropped their first two games of the season, they kicked off the year in West Virginia, playing two midweek games against the Bluefield Ridge Runners.
The Sock Puppets' offense faced a tough challenge in the first two games, recording only three hits in 18 innings. Despite a promising start with early scoring in the first two innings of the opening game, the offense quickly quieted down. Second baseman Joseph DeLanzo was the sole player to secure a hit in game one.
In game two, the Ridge Runners' pitching staff again got the best of the Burlington hitters, shutting out the Sock Puppets 2-0.
The Sock Puppets and the Doughboys come in this weekend with a 0-2 record after some offensive struggles. Johnson City faced off against the Bristol State Liners to open up the year but lost game one 5-3 and the second game 10-3.
Last year, Burlington and Johnson City were the top two teams in the Appalachian League, setting the stage for an early-season rivalry. The Doughboys held the best record in the league, going 35-10 in 2023, while the Sock Puppets finished the year in second place with a 29-19 record.
The two teams clashed five times last year, with Johnson City emerging victorious in three of those games. The rivalry was further fueled when both teams met in the postseason league championship game, with Johnson City clinching the 2023 title.
The first game of the series is set for tomorrow, Friday, June 7 at 7:00 p.m., marking the teams' first opportunity to secure a win this season. Game two will follow suit with a 7:00 p.m. first pitch on Saturday, June 8, and the series will conclude on Sunday with a seven-inning matchup at 5:30 p.m. All games will be streamed live and can be accessed through the MLB.TV app and the GoSockPuppets.com homepage.
