The South Bend Adams Eagles will venture away from home to face off against the NorthWood Panthers at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with four defeats in a row, South Bend Adams turned things around against Elkhart on Thursday. They came out on top against the Lions by a score of 7-4.
South Bend Adams saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Angela McNellis, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. That's the most RBI McNellis has posted since back in April.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask NorthWood). They put the hurt on Goshen with a sharp 17-1 win on Wednesday. The Panthers have beaten the RedHawks the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the RedHawks has come to flipping the script.
Chloe Davis made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one RBI.
In other batting news, NorthWood got a big performance out of Evyn Weldy, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Natalia Vega, who went 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
NorthWood was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .406. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Goshen only posted a batting average of .080.
South Bend Adams' record now sits at 9-13. As for NorthWood, their record is now 14-7.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. South Bend Adams hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .333. However, it's not like NorthWood struggles in that department as they've averaged .332. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
South Bend Adams came up short against NorthWood when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 4-1. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
