The North Johnston Panthers will challenge the Princeton Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. North Johnston is coming into the contest hot, having won their last six games.
North Johnston is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They never let Eastern Wayne get on the board and left with a 34-0 win on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won five games by ten runs or more so far this season.
Reid Willoughby
| 03/27/25 @ Eastern Wayne | 14 |
| 03/07/25 @ Fike | 6 |
| 03/14/25 @ Neuse Charter | 5 |
| 04/01/24 vs Cleveland | 3 |
| 03/19/25 @ Franklin Academy | 2 |
Reid Willoughby made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 14 over five innings pitched. Those 14 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, 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. That's the most runs Scott has posted since back in May of 2024. Cooper Hall was another key player, going 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 matchups they've averaged 13.4.
Meanwhile, after some red-hot attacks at the plate in their last three contests, Princeton finally came back down to earth on Friday. They came up short against South Central, falling 12-1. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Bulldogs, who until this game 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.
North Johnston's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-3. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 20.8 runs over those games. As for Princeton, with the defeat, they broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 7-4.
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 10.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Princeton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
North Johnston couldn't quite get it done against Princeton when the teams last played back in May of 2024 as they fell 8-3. Will North Johnston have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
