Baseball Preview: North Mac Panthers vs. Gillespie Miners
The North Mac Panthers will head out on the road to take on the Gillespie Miners at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
North Mac will head into Wednesday's game hoping to keep the good times rolling: they proved they can win big on Tuesday (they won by nine) but on Wednesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Lutheran and snuck past 8-6.
Aiden Hatalla made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Hatalla was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with a triple and a run.
In other batting news, Colin Etter was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Gillespie put the finishing touches on their eighth blowout victory of the season on Wednesday. They never let Greenfield/Northwestern onto the board and left with a 15-0 victory. The win was some much needed relief for Gillespie as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Like North Mac, Gillespie also got a great game from a two-way player: Tristen Wargo. Throwing, Wargo tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. Meanwhile, Luke Schuckenbrock pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Wargo has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. At bat, Wargo went 2-for-2 with three runs, three RBI, and a triple, while Schuckenbrock went 3-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Carson Hailstone, who went 2-for-2 with a triple, two RBI, and a run. Jesse Berry was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
North Mac is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 7-7 record this season. As for Gillespie, their record now sits at 13-7.
North Mac might still be hurting after the 8-2 loss they got from Gillespie in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Can North Mac avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
