The North Johnston Panthers are taking a road trip to take on the Princeton Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. North Johnston is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.
North Johnston fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Eastern Wayne on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Warriors by a score of 4-3.
Victoria Sasser
| 04/29/25 vs Eastern Wayne | 0 |
| 04/25/25 vs South Central | 2 |
| 04/24/25 @ Farmville Central | 1 |
Victoria Sasser spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Camden Ford was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last game, Princeton made sure to put some runs up on the board against Beddingfield on Tuesday. The Bulldogs never let the Bruins get on the board and left with a 15-0 win. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matches by six runs or more this season.
Mary Rachel Uzzell made a splash while hitting and pitching. She tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Uzzell was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Madison Baker was incredible, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Caroline Waller was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Princeton hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in three consecutive contests.
Princeton is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.6 runs over those games. As for North Johnston, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 8-1 and their overall record down to 8-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Johnston has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Princeton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went North Johnston's way against Princeton when the teams last played on April 1st, as North Johnston made off with a 17-7 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
