Apex Friendship and Panther Creek are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2018, but likely not for long. The Patriots are taking a road trip to face off against the Catamounts at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Apex Friendship barely beat Apex the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Patriots blew past the Cougars 10-1 on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Patriots, who have now won nine games by eight runs or more so far this season.
Cheyenne Christman made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
India Matute
| 04/24/25 vs Apex | 3 |
| 03/25/25 vs Panther Creek | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Green Level | 1 |
| 03/27/25 @ Cary | 1 |
| 03/03/25 vs Corinth Holders | 1 |
In other batting news, India Matute was incredible, going 2-for-4 with two triples, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Sydney Joyce, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.
Apex Friendship was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .387. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Apex only posted a batting average of .222.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Panther Creek, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Thursday. They walked away with a 12-7 win over Green Hope on Thursday.
Like Apex Friendship, Panther Creek also got a great game from a two-way player: Jessica Burk. She struck out 18 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and five unearned) runs off five hits. Burk was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cassidy Robinson, who went 3-for-4 with four runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Sydney Gauldin was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two doubles, and one run.
Apex Friendship pushed their record up to 13-3 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.9 runs over those games. As for Panther Creek, their victory bumped their record up to 6-8.
Panther Creek's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Apex Friendship has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.2 hits per game. It's a different story for Panther Creek, though, as they've been averaging 8.7 hits. Given Apex Friendship's sizable advantage in that area, the Catamounts will need to find a way to close that gap.
Apex Friendship took their win against Panther Creek when the teams last played back in March by a conclusive 14-4 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
