The South Johnston Trojans will challenge the C.B. Aycock Golden Falcons at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with South Johnston sitting on five straight victories and C.B. Aycock on three.
South Johnston is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Fike 24-3 on Friday. Considering the Trojans have won four matches by more than 11 runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Randi Deese spent all four innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on five hits. What's more, she posted three strikeouts, the most she's had since back in March of 2024.
Reese Penny
| 03/14/25 @ Fike | 5 |
| 03/12/25 vs Cleveland | 1 |
| 03/11/25 vs Smithfield-Selma | 3 |
| 03/07/25 @ Garner | 4 |
| 02/28/25 @ Corinth Holders | 2 |
| + 13 more games |
At the plate, South Johnston let Reese Penny and Lily Johnson run wild. Penny got on base in all five of her plate appearances with five RBI, three runs, and one double, while Johnson scored four runs while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. That's the most RBI Penny has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Loryn Riddick, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances.
South Johnston always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .675. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fike only posted an OBP of .368.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but C.B. Aycock ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past East Wake 5-4. That's two games straight that the Golden Falcons have won by just one run.
Avery Fricks spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on nine hits. Those hits marked the first that she allowed this season.
On the hitting side, Kaitlyn Lancaster and Nikayla Weaver did most of the damage at the plate: Lancaster went 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Weaver scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
C.B. Aycock's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-4. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for South Johnston, their win bumped their record up to 5-1.
C.B. Aycock's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: South Johnston has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.2 hits per game. It's a different story for C.B. Aycock, though, as they've been averaging 9.2 hits. Given South Johnston's sizable advantage in that area, C.B. Aycock will need to find a way to close that gap.
South Johnston beat C.B. Aycock 5-1 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Does South Johnston have another victory up their sleeve, or will C.B. Aycock turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
