The Cobden Appleknockers will square off against the Norris City-Omaha-Enfield Fighting Cardinals at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Cobden has given up an average of 11.1 runs per game this season, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Cobden's last matchup with Century could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's contest on Wednesday. The Appleknockers lost 14-3 to the Centurions. That's two games in a row now that the Appleknockers have lost by exactly 11 runs.
Cobden saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Matthew Howell, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Norris City-Omaha-Enfield was able to grind out a solid victory over Webber on Tuesday, taking the game 10-7. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Fighting Cardinals.
Javan Garrett made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Norris City-Omaha-Enfield is 2-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 0-4 otherwise. Garrett was even better at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. He also brought in an RBI, marking his first of the season.
In other batting news, Norris City-Omaha-Enfield let Reece Willis and Cole Kingston run wild. Willis went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two doubles, while Kingston scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Those runs marked the first that Kingston scored this season. Another player making a difference was Zane Fiala, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Norris City-Omaha-Enfield always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .634. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Norris City-Omaha-Enfield's win bumped their record up to 2-5. As for Cobden, they dropped their record down to 1-6 with the defeat, which was their fourth straight at home.
Everything went Cobden's way against Norris City-Omaha-Enfield in their previous matchup back in April of 2016, as Cobden made off with an 18-7 victory. Will the Appleknockers repeat their success, or do the Fighting Cardinals have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
