The North Johnston Panthers will challenge the Seaforth Hawks on Friday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
North Johnston is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Holmes, sneaking past 4-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Panthers have posted since March 27th.
Victoria Sasser spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up 13 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Camden Ford was excellent, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Samantha Johnson, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Seaforth waltzed into their match on Tuesday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 2-1 W against the Wolfpack. That's two games straight that the Hawks have won by just one run.
Emma Grace Hill was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. Hill was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one double and one RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March.
Hill wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Abigail Johnson, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base.
Seaforth pushed their record up to 15-6 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for North Johnston, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Johnston has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Seaforth struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
