Softball Game Preview: Newton Local Indians vs. Tri-County North Panthers

The Newton Local Indians will challenge the Tri-County North Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Newton Local sitting on five straight victories and Tri-County North on seven.

While Newton Local didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-11), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They came out on top against St. Henry by a score of 10-5 on Monday.

Meanwhile, Tri-County North never let their opponents score on Monday. They walked away with a 4-0 win over Mississinawa Valley.

The result came thanks to Kasidi Daugherty's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up 13 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in ten consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Tri-County North saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jordan Pinion, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run. That's the most stolen bases Pinion has posted since back in May of 2024.

Tri-County North's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-6. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Newton Local, their victory bumped their record up to 8-3.

Newton Local might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from Tri-County North when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Indians avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.