The Homestead Spartans will head out on the road to challenge the Norwell Knights at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Homestead is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8 runs per game this season.
While Homestead didn't have the best season last year (they finished 11-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They walked away with a 6-1 win over Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran on Thursday.
The team relied heavily on Maddy Rodgers, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run. Grace Jordan was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two runs.
Homestead hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran struck out seven times.
Meanwhile, Norwell waltzed into their match on Wednesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They blew past the Giants 15-5. That's two games straight that the Knights have won by exactly ten runs.
Kara Brown was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits (and not a single walk). Those 11 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games she's played.
In other batting news, Reese Frauhiger was a standout: she got on base in four of her six plate appearances with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. She has been hot recently, having posted three or more RBI the last three times she's played. Leah Werling also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Homestead is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Norwell, their record now sits at 6-1.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Homestead hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1 home runs per game. However, it's not like Norwell struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Everything went Homestead's way against Norwell in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Homestead made off with a 10-3 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Spartans since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
