Softball Game Preview: Fike Demons vs. American Leadership Academy-Johnston Patriots

The Fike Demons will look to defend their home field on Monday against the American Leadership Academy-Johnston Patriots at 7:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.

Fike made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Southern Wayne, but they still couldn't quite topple them. Fike blew past Southern Wayne 18-5 on Friday. The win was some much needed relief for the Demons as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.

Cheyanne Mercer was a standout: she scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in February of 2024. Gracie Mercer was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.

Fike always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .583. They are 2-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask American Leadership Academy-Johnston). They put the hurt on Ravenscroft with a sharp 21-1 victory on Thursday. With that win, the Patriots brought their scoring average up to 6.9 runs per game.

Amelia Brown was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and not a single walk). Brown was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her five plate appearances with four RBI and one stolen base. That stolen base marked the first that she snagged this season.

In other batting news, American Leadership Academy-Johnston got a massive performance out of Makayla Cooke, who scored four runs while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Addison Cooke, who scored four runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.

The victory was their first at home , bumping their record up to 2-9. As for American Leadership Academy-Johnston, their win bumped their record up to 4-5.