The Mason Punchers will take on the Johnson City Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Mason has given up an average of 10.5 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.
Mason managed to slip by Leakey the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. Mason lost 19-2 to Leakey on Tuesday. Having soared to a lofty 21 runs in the game before, the Punchers couldn't push the score so high this time.
Meanwhile, Johnson City had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it seven on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Goldthwaite with a sharp 22-2 win. Considering Johnson City has won 11 matchups by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Sara Kuvet was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. Furthermore, she didn't allow a single walk, the first time she has blanked an opponent since back in February. She was even better at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with five RBI, three runs, and one stolen base. Those four hits gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Johnson City got a massive performance out of Madison Marshall, who fired off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 3-for-3. The dominant performance gave Marshall a new career-high in home runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Chloe Clark, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three runs.
Johnson City kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 22 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in seven consecutive contests.
Johnson City pushed their record up to 11-1-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Mason, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-8.
Mason came out on top in a nail-biter against Johnson City in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 13-12. Does Mason have another victory up their sleeve, or will Johnson City turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
