North Platte is 2-8 against Lawson since October of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Panthers will challenge the Cardinals at 5:00 p.m. North Platte's pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so Lawson's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
North Platte not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since August 30th (when they won 16-4). They never let East Buchanan get on the board and left with an 11-0 victory. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by six runs or more this season.
Charlie Hinton was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Hinton was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Morgan Ball, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Graci Williams also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen bases of the season.
North Platte was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .407. The last time their batting average was this high was was before the start of last season.
Mid-Buchanan hit Lawson with a five-run third inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Cardinals came up short against the Dragons, falling 11-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Cardinals have suffered since September 16, 2024.
The win made it two in a row for North Platte and bumps their season record up to 8-5. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Lawson, they now have a losing record of 3-4.
North Platte skirted past Lawson 3-1 in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. 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.
