Baseball Game Preview: Newark Norsemen vs. Gardner-South Wilmington Panthers

The Newark Norsemen will head out to take on the Gardner-South Wilmington Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Gardner-South Wilmington took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Newark, who comes in off a win.

Newark's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over Hiawatha. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Norsemen.

Eastin Mcbroom made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 11 over six innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.

Toby Steffen

Stolen Base (Career)

04/01/25 vs Hiawatha	2
03/26/25 vs Aurora Christian	1
05/04/24 vs Marquette	1
04/30/24 vs Serena	1
04/25/24 vs Illinois C	1

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Toby Steffen, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Jackson Walker was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.

Newark hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hiawatha struck out 11 times.

Meanwhile, Gardner-South Wilmington was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They lost 13-3 to Herscher. That's two games in a row now that the Panthers have lost by exactly ten runs.

Newark picked up their first home victory, bumping their record up to 3-8. As for Gardner-South Wilmington, their loss dropped their record down to 1-4.

Newark's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's contest. The Norsemen have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Gardner-South Wilmington, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Newark continue to outrun the ball? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.