Softball Game Preview: North Johnston Panthers vs. Eastern Wayne Warriors

The North Johnston Panthers will challenge the Eastern Wayne Warriors at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. North Johnston has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with three straight defeats, while Eastern Wayne will come in with six straight wins.

Things were looking good for North Johnston after they put the first run on the board on Friday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They lost 7-1 to South Central.

Meanwhile, Eastern Wayne sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 victory over Spring Creek last Wednesday. That's two games straight that the Warriors have won by exactly two runs.

Mallory Reed made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out 17 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high.

In other batting news, Hannah Lee was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run. Nakiah Williams also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.

Eastern Wayne pushed their record up to 10-2 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for North Johnston, their loss dropped their record down to 8-6.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Johnston has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Eastern Wayne struggles in that department as they've been averaging 18.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

North Johnston skirted past Eastern Wayne 4-3 in their previous meeting back in March. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Warriors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.