The North Central Panthers will head out on the road to square off against the Kokomo Wildkats at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. North Central has given up an average of 10 runs per game this season, but Saturday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
It was a proper cat-fight when North Central duked it out with Lawrence North on Thursday. The Panthers lost 15-5 to the Wildcats. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Panthers have suffered against the Wildcats since April 2, 2019.
Kaia Pantos was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Samantha Saalfrank, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Kokomo, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by an 18-8 margin over Lafayette Jefferson on Thursday. Considering the Wildkats have won five games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Amirah Marciniak was a standout: she went 4-for-5 with two triples, four RBI, and two runs. Lanaya Buckner also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Kokomo always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .605. The last time their OBP was this high was back in May of 2024.
Kokomo's record now sits at 8-6. As for North Central, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 5-7-1.
Kokomo's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: North Central has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .449. It's a different story for Kokomo, though, as they've only averaged .355. Will they be able to contain North Central's hitters?
North Central might still be hurting after the 11-5 loss they got from Kokomo in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
