Shade is 8-1 against North Star since May of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Panthers will venture away from home to take on the Cougars at 4:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Shade has four straight wins, North Star has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Monday, Shade beat Rockwood 9-4.
Payton Maddy
| 04/21/25 @ Rockwood | 10 |
| 04/17/25 vs McConnellsburg | 7 |
| 04/09/25 vs Turkeyfoot Valley Area | 9 |
| 04/03/25 @ Ferndale | 10 |
| 04/01/25 vs Rockwood | 9 |
| 03/24/25 @ Forbes Road | 7 |
Payton Maddy made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and one triple.
In other batting news, Patty Kovacs was incredible, going 1-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. Kara Wilson also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Meanwhile, North Star came up short against Windber on Wednesday and fell 4-1.
North Star saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kayley Brant, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
Shade pushed their record up to 6-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for North Star, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-4.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Shade hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like North Star struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Shade took their victory against North Star in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 19-0 score. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
