The American Leadership Academy-Johnston Patriots will take on the Wake Prep Academy Guardians at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
American Leadership Academy-Johnston proved they can win big on Thursday (they won by ten) and on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 win over Eastern Wayne.
Amelia Brown
| 03/11/25 vs Eastern Wayne | 19 |
| 03/06/25 @ Vance County | 9 |
| 03/25/24 vs East Wake Academy | 9 |
| 02/24/25 @ Wallace-Rose Hill | 8 |
| 03/03/25 @ Freedom Christian Academy | 7 |
Amelia Brown spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on seven hits and racked up 19 Ks. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in strikeouts.
On the hitting side, American Leadership Academy-Johnston's victory was truly a team effort as two different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Savanah Peterkin, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2. That stolen base was Peterkin's first of the season.
Meanwhile, Wake Prep Academy can bid farewell to their eight-game losing streak dating back to last season thanks to their game on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Durham School of the Arts a 22-0 shutout. The Guardians' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Lexi Chambers was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). The dominant performance gave her a new career-low in hits. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing Three bases. while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, Emma Chambers was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, five stolen bases, and three RBI. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 1.8 stolen bases per game. Kyndall Miller was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two triples, three runs, and one RBI.
Wake Prep Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .818. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Wake Prep Academy's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-3. As for American Leadership Academy-Johnston, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.
Wake Prep Academy's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. American Leadership Academy-Johnston has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Wake Prep Academy, though, as they've been averaging only 2.8 strikeouts. Will American Leadership Academy-Johnston keep running through batters, or will Wake Prep Academy buck the trend?
American Leadership Academy-Johnston suffered a grim 13-4 defeat to Wake Prep Academy in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can American Leadership Academy-Johnston avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
