The Princeton Bulldogs will square off against the Goldsboro Cougars at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Princeton's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They put the hurt on Eastern Wayne with a sharp 27-0 win. The Bulldogs have beaten the Warriors the last six times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Warriors has come to flipping the script.
Macon Boone
| 04/03/25 vs Eastern Wayne | 4 |
| 03/27/25 @ Beddingfield | 3 |
| 03/13/25 vs Hobbton | 2 |
| 03/25/25 vs Spring Creek | 1 |
| 03/06/25 @ Hobbton | 1 |
Macon Boone was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
In other batting news, Cade Gurley was a standout: he scored three runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Lucas Finch, who scored three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Princeton was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .550. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Eastern Wayne only posted a batting average of .000.
Meanwhile, Goldsboro waltzed into their game on Thursday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They blew past the Bruins 16-2.
Like Princeton, Goldsboro also got a great game from a two-way player: Bladen Jones. On the mound, he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Jones has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Avery Grant was incredible, going a perfect 5-for-5 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. He also hit a triple, marking his first of the season. Joseph Hayes was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4.
Goldsboro pushed their record up to 5-9 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Princeton, their victory bumped their record up to 9-4.
Goldsboro's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Princeton has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.3 hits per game. It's a different story for Goldsboro, though, as they've been averaging 8.9 hits. Given Princeton's sizable advantage in that area, the Cougars will need to find a way to close that gap.
Princeton took their win against Goldsboro in their previous matchup two weeks ago by a conclusive 11-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
