North Johnston has gone a perfect 10-0 against Beddingfield recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The North Johnston Panthers are taking a road trip to square off against the Beddingfield Bruins at 6:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (North Johnston has three straight wins, Beddingfield has six straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
North Johnston barely beat Franklin Academy the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Everything went North Johnston's way against Franklin Academy on Wednesday as North Johnston made off with a 12-2 victory. Considering the Panthers have won three matches by more than nine runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Reid Willoughby
| 03/19/25 @ Franklin Academy | 3 |
| 03/18/25 vs Spring Creek | 2 |
| 03/07/25 @ Fike | 2 |
| 03/14/25 @ Neuse Charter | 1 |
| 03/06/25 vs Franklin Academy | 1 |
Tyler Coates and Reid Willoughby made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Coates struck out ten batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Meanwhile, Willoughby pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-low in walks (zero). At the plate, Coates went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one stolen base, while Willoughby went 1-for-5 with three RBI and one double. Those three RBI gave Willoughby a new career-high.
In other batting news, Zach Peacock was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. He also brought in an RBI, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Seth Scott, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one stolen base and two RBI.
North Johnston kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Beddingfield came up short against Goldsboro on Tuesday, falling 15-1. That's two games in a row now that the Bruins have lost by exactly 14 runs.
Beddingfield's defeat dropped their record down to 0-6. As for North Johnston, their record is now 5-3.
Beddingfield's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. North Johnston has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Beddingfield, though, as they've been averaging only 3.5 strikeouts. Will North Johnston keep running through batters, or will Beddingfield buck the trend?
Everything went North Johnston's way against Beddingfield when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as North Johnston made off with a 12-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for North Johnston since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
