Baseball Game Preview: Smithfield-Selma Spartans vs. South Johnston Trojans

Smithfield-Selma is 1-9 against South Johnston since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Spartans will be playing at home against the Trojans at 7:00 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

Smithfield-Selma was handed a 18-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 8-6 win over Raleigh HomeSchool. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Spartans have posted since March 16, 2024.

EJ Stridiron made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out six batters over 5.2 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Stridiron was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.

Andrew Hartman

Runs (Career)

04/15/25 @ Raleigh HomeSchool	3
03/22/25 vs Southeast Raleigh	2
02/25/25 vs Knightdale	2
03/16/24 vs Southeast Raleigh	2
04/09/25 @ Fike	1

In other batting news, Andrew Hartman was a standout: he went 3-for-5 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Cayden Gregory, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double.

Smithfield-Selma was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .455. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for South Johnston, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They skirted past North Johnston 7-6.

South Johnston is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. Smithfield-Selma's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-18.

Smithfield-Selma might still be hurting after the 22-0 loss they got from South Johnston when the teams last played back in March. Will the Spartans have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.