Baseball Game Preview: Nouvel Catholic Central Panthers vs. Valley Lutheran Chargers

The Nouvel Catholic Central Panthers will head out to square off against the Valley Lutheran Chargers at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

The home team had won the previous three meetings between Nouvel Catholic Central and Ithaca, and Ithaca kept the tradition alive. The Panthers fell 4-1 to the Yellowjackets on Thursday.

Cam Kaul made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.

For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times Valley Lutheran and Hemlock have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Friday. The Chargers fell just short of the Huskies by a score of 8-7.

Axel Schuette was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Tyler Belt-Captain also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.

Valley Lutheran's defeat dropped their record down to 9-5. As for Nouvel Catholic Central, their loss dropped their record down to 10-6.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Nouvel Catholic Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Valley Lutheran struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Nouvel Catholic Central was able to grind out a solid victory over Valley Lutheran when the teams last played back in April, winning 9-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.