Softball Recap: Make It 14 in a Row for Johannesburg-Lewiston

Cardinals

Margin (Wins)

05/02/25 vs Central Lake	24
04/14/25 @ Forest Area	23
05/19/25 @ Pellston	19
04/26/25 vs Harbor Springs	17
05/02/25 vs Central Lake	16

Johannesburg-Lewiston came tearing into Monday's match with 13 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.9 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Pellston Hornets a 19-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Cardinals, who have now won 17 games by six runs or more so far this season.

Emerson Valentine made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with four stolen bases and three runs. Those four stolen bases gave her a new career-high.

In other batting news, Johannesburg-Lewiston got a massive performance out of Madison Peppin, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Those four hits gave Peppin a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jaeden Briley, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one triple.

Johannesburg-Lewiston kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits in three consecutive contests.

Johannesburg-Lewiston's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 23-3. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Pellston, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-3.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Johannesburg-Lewiston will head out to face off against Harbor Springs at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The Rams have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 12.75 runs per game on average), something the Cardinals will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Pellston, they will head out on the road to challenge Bellaire at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Eagles' pitching crew has only allowed 2.9 runs per game this season, so the Hornets' hitters will have their work cut out for them.