If North Johnston was feeling good off their 10-0 takedown of Eastern Wayne last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The North Johnston Panthers took an 8-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Princeton Bulldogs on Thursday. The result was an unpleasant reminder to North Johnston of the 6-3 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April.
Cory Barnes made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run.
On Princeton's side, Landon Murphy and Sam Lopez made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Murphy struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Lopez pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Murphy has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. At bat, Murphy scored a run while going 2-for-3, while Lopez went 2-for-4 with a triple, a run, and an RBI.
In other batting news, Branson Flynn was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Andrew Hester, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
North Johnston's loss ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-7. As for Princeton, they pushed their record up to 16-5 with that win, which was their seventh straight at home.
North Johnston will take on Goldsboro at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Goldsboro will roll in looking for their fifth straight victory, something North Johnston surely won't give up without a fight. Princeton does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
