The Princeton Bulldogs are taking a road trip to square off against the North Johnston Panthers at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Princeton 3.5, North Johnston 2.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Princeton is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 29 runs on Thursday, they were much more limited against South Central on Friday. They came up short against the Falcons, falling 12-1. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Bulldogs, who until this matchup were averaging 3.55 runs allowed.
Princeton saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Evan Pate, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one double.
Meanwhile, North Johnston came tearing into Thursday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.2 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Warriors 34-0. That looming 34-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Panthers yet this season.
Reid Willoughby made a splash no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 14 over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his six plate appearances.
In other batting news, North Johnston let Seth Scott and Tyler Coates run wild. Scott got on base in five of his six plate appearances with seven RBI, four runs, and two triples, while Coates went 4-for-5 with one home run, four runs, and five RBI. What's more, Scott posted three hits, the most he's had since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Cooper Hall, who went 2-for-5 with five RBI, three runs, and one triple.
North Johnston kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 22 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.5 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 13.4.
North Johnston pushed their record up to 8-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Princeton, the defeat snapped their winning streak at three games and leaves them with a 7-4 record.
Both Princeton and North Johnston just can't seem to miss. Princeton has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.5 hits per game. However, it's not like North Johnston struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.1 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Princeton beat North Johnston 8-3 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Princeton since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
