East Wake hasn't had much luck against South Johnston recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. East Wake will be playing at home against South Johnston at 4:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with East Wake sitting on three straight victories and South Johnston on nine.
While East Wake's win against Fike wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. East Wake sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 victory over Fike on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Warriors have posted against the Demons since March 10, 2017.
The team relied heavily on Madison Smith, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI and one double. Sophia Saucillo was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one RBI.
Meanwhile, while South Johnston put up plenty of runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Hunt. South Johnston blew past Hunt 15-0. The result was nothing new for the Trojans, who have now won seven games by ten runs or more so far this season.
The result came thanks to Randi Deese's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up seven Ks. Those seven strikeouts gave her a new career-high.
At the plate, Reese Penny was incredible, scoring three runs while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Olivia Crumpler, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.
South Johnston always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .680. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hunt only posted an OBP of .250.
South Johnston's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-1. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for East Wake, their victory bumped their record up to 7-4.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. East Wake has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .473. However, it's not like South Johnston struggles in that department as they've averaged .615. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
East Wake suffered a grim 20-0 defeat to South Johnston in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can East Wake avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
