The North Johnston Panthers will head out on the road to take on the Bunn Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. North Johnston's pitching crew has only allowed 1.2 runs per game this season, so Bunn's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
North Johnston scored the most runs they've had all season to find success last Tuesday. They put the hurt on Neuse Charter with a sharp 14-1 victory. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for North Johnston considering their two-run performance the game before.
Daniel Turner was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Turner has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive pitching appearances. Turner was even better at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, North Johnston let Cory Barnes and Seth Scott loose on the outfield. Barnes went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and a double, while Scott scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Cooper Hall, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, it was a hard-fought matchup, but Bunn had to settle for a 4-3 defeat against Nash Central on Tuesday. Bunn has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Like North Johnston, Bunn also got a great game from a two-way player: Jared Hagwood. He struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Hagwood was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with a home run.
Hagwood wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Owen Mitchell, who went 1-for-3 with a home run. Another player making a difference was Keagan Price, who went 1-for-2 with a stolen base and an RBI.
North Johnston now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Bunn, their loss dropped their record down to 4-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Johnston has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bunn struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.7 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
North Johnston came out on top in a nail-biter against Bunn in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, sneaking past 10-9. The rematch might be a little tougher for North Johnston since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
