The Lakewood Lancers will square off against the Johnstown-Monroe Johnnies at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Lakewood's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so Johnstown-Monroe's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Wednesday just wasn't the day for Lakewood's offense. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of Mt. Vernon on Wednesday. That makes it the first time this season the Lancers have let down their home crowd.
Ashlyn Carder
| 05/07/25 vs Mt. Vernon | 0 |
| 04/24/25 @ Highland | 1 |
| 04/23/25 vs Licking Heights | 2 |
Ashlyn Carder spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Lakewood saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Averie Adams, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Johnstown-Monroe). They never let Zanesville get on the board and left with a 26-0 win on Wednesday. The Johnnies might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matchups by six runs or more this season.
Riley Stefanick and Abigail Wood made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Stefanick pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Wood pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At bat, Stefanick got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs, two stolen bases, and one RBI, while Wood went 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave Stefanick a new career-high.
In other batting news, Addy Zak was a standout: she got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and four RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Reese Lyons, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles.
Johnstown-Monroe always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .806. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Johnstown-Monroe's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-7. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Lakewood, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 15-4.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lakewood hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .366. However, it's not like Johnstown-Monroe struggles in that department as they've averaged .330. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
