The North Johnston Panthers will square off against the Cape Fear Colts at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with North Johnston sitting on seven straight wins and Cape Fear on nine.
It was a proper cat-fight when North Johnston duked it out with Goldsboro last Thursday. The Panthers put the hurt on the Cougars with a sharp 13-2 victory. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won six games by six runs or more so far this season.
Victoria Sasser
| 04/10/25 vs Goldsboro | 3 |
| 03/25/25 @ Goldsboro | 2 |
| 05/02/24 @ Princeton | 2 |
| 04/08/25 vs Beddingfield | 1 |
| 04/03/25 @ Spring Creek | 1 |
Victoria Sasser made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She tossed five innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double. Those three stolen bases gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Camden Ford was a standout: she went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one double. Samantha Johnson also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
North Johnston kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 3.3 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 11.6.
Cape Fear came out on top against Hoggard on Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive ten-run fifth inning. The Colts blew past the Vikings 12-4. Considering the Colts have won 15 matchups by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Karalina Tomasic looked comfortable as she pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Amari Adams, who went 3-for-5 with three runs and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Allie Dawson, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run.
Cape Fear's win was their 17th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 17-3. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.1 runs on average over those games. As for North Johnston, their record is now 8-3.
Monday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. North Johnston hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .313. However, it's not like Cape Fear struggles in that department as they've averaged .502. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
North Johnston might still be hurting after the 13-0 loss they got from Cape Fear in their previous meeting back in March. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
