The North Johnston Panthers will challenge the Harnett Central Trojans at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (North Johnston 2.9, Harnett Central 3.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
North Johnston is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Goldsboro a 23-0 shutout on Tuesday. The victory was familiar territory for the Panthers, who have now won four matchups in a row.
Zach Peacock made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-low in walks (zero). He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with four RBI and one double. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Luke Lomonaco and Cooper Hall did most of the damage at the plate: Lomonaco got on base in four of his five plate appearances with four runs, four RBI, and one triple, while Hall got on base in all three of his plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most RBI Hall has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Cameron Willoughby, who scored four runs while going 1-for-1.
North Johnston kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Harnett Central entered their contest against Terry Sanford on Tuesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Harnett Central fell just short of Terry Sanford by a score of 7-6. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since March 31, 2023, but that streak is no more.
North Johnston pushed their record up to 6-3 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 13 hits in those games compared to only 5.5 in the others. As for Harnett Central, their loss dropped their record down to 6-3.
North Johnston might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from Harnett Central when the teams last played back in April of 2024. 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.
