The Northridge Raiders will venture away from home to take on the Elkhart Lions at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Northridge has three straight wins, Elkhart has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Northridge came out on top against NorthWood on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run fifth inning. The Raiders never let the Panthers get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory. The Raiders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matchups by six runs or more this season.
Northridge got a massive performance out of Rachel Humbarger, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most RBI Humbarger has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Willow Staley, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Northridge always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .552. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Elkhart didn't have quite enough to beat Penn on Thursday and fell 2-1.
Anna Knight spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on seven hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Elkhart saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ava Walker, who went 2-for-4 with one RBI.
Northridge's win bumped their record up to 10-5. As for Elkhart, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-11.
Saturday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Northridge hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .353. However, it's not like Elkhart struggles in that department as they've averaged .316. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Northridge came out on top in a nail-biter against Elkhart when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 1-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Raiders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
