Golden Eagles
| 04/08/25 vs Pike County Central | 4 |
| 04/04/25 vs Kaneland | 4 |
| 04/03/25 vs Ketchikan | 14 |
| 04/02/25 vs Woodrow Wilson | 3 |
| 04/01/25 vs Winfield | 3 |
| + 9 more games |
Johnson Central and Russell are an even 3-3 against one another since March of 2015, but likely not for long. The Golden Eagles will face off against the Red Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Johnson Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
While Johnson Central's win against Pike County Central wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Golden Eagles narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Hawks 4-2.
Keylee Blair spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on two hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Mayson Delong, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run and two stolen bases. The team also got some help courtesy of Julie Dials, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one double.
Russell had taken Blazer down for three straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Tuesday. The Red Devils lost 22-12 to the Tomcats. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Friday (11), the Red Devils still had to take the loss.
Bella Hall made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and got on base in four of her five plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Hadley Cook also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Johnson Central has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 8-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Russell, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-7 record this season.
Russell's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Johnson Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Russell, though, as they've been averaging only 3.9 strikeouts. Will Johnson Central keep running through batters, or will the Red Devils buck the trend?
Johnson Central skirted past Russell 7-6 in their previous matchup back in May of 2019. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Golden Eagles since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
