The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds will venture away from home to take on the Ludlow Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Wednesday, Newport Central Catholic beat Dayton 15-10. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Thoroughbreds.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Ludlow faced off against Bellevue on Wednesday. The Panthers blew past the Tigers 17-4. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by ten runs or more this season.
Evie Orsua made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 13 batters over six innings while giving up four earned runs off six hits. Orsua was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games she's played.
In other batting news, Shelby Ralston was incredible, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with seven stolen bases, five runs, and two doubles. She has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times she's played. Another player making a difference was Miley Lay, who went 3-for-5 with four stolen bases, three RBI, and one triple.
Ludlow kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in May of 2024.
Ludlow has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-7-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.4 runs over those games. As for Newport Central Catholic, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-4.
Newport Central Catholic came up short against Ludlow in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, falling 16-13. Can the Thoroughbreds avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
