Baseball Game Preview: Faith Christian Eagles vs. North Newton Spartans

For the second straight game, Faith Christian will face off against North Newton. The Eagles will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Spartans at 5:30 p.m. Faith Christian has given up an average of 11.1 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Tuesday just wasn't the day for Faith Christian's offense. They came up short against North Newton on Tuesday, falling 12-0. The Eagles have struggled against the Spartans recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost meeting.

For North Newton's part, Nick Bartrom tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over five innings pitched. Bartrom has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances.

At the plate, North Newton got a big performance out of Preston Boezeman, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Joe Bijak, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.

North Newton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .577. The last time their OBP was this high was back in May of 2024.

North Newton has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 5-11 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Faith Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 3-7.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Faith Christian has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like North Newton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.