The Northside - Pinetown Panthers will take on the Lawrence Academy Warriors in a tournament on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Thursday, Northside - Pinetown got the win against Jones by a conclusive 17-1. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Panthers.
Allie Davis looked comfortable as she tossed three innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit.
On the hitting side, Northside - Pinetown got a massive performance out of Riley Hudson, who went 1-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Sophia Berry, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, two RBI, and one double.
Northside - Pinetown always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .633. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Lawrence Academy entered their tilt with Ridgecroft on Wednesday with five consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with six. They never let the Rams get on the board and left with a 15-0 win.
Claire Smith was a major factor no matter where she played. She pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs.
In other batting news, Jaslene Ethridge was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. Camy Pippins was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs.
Lawrence Academy's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Northside - Pinetown, their victory bumped their record up to 9-7.
Friday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Northside - Pinetown hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .360. However, it's not like Lawrence Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .413. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Northside - Pinetown's way against Lawrence Academy in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, as Northside - Pinetown made off with a 17-4 win. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Warriors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
