Northwestern hasn't had much luck against Kokomo recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Tigers will host the Wildkats at 5:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Northwestern has three straight victories, Kokomo has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Northwestern's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 13-0 margin over Tipton. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Tigers considering their two-run performance the game before.
Stevie-Rae Hedges made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Those 11 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs.
Tessa Ortman
| 05/08/25 vs Tipton | 3 |
| 04/23/25 @ Whitko | 2 |
| 04/15/25 @ Eastern | 2 |
| 04/09/25 vs Eastbrook | 2 |
| 05/10/24 @ Twin Lakes | 2 |
In other batting news, Tessa Ortman was incredible, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Alexis Turffs, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Northwestern kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They are 4-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Kokomo fell victim to Noblesville and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They lost 16-0 to the Millers. The contest marked the first time this season in which the Wildkats were not able to get on the board.
Northwestern's win bumped their record up to 7-10. As for Kokomo, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-9.
Kokomo's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Northwestern has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Kokomo, though, as they've been averaging only 3.6 strikeouts. Will Northwestern keep running through batters, or will the Wildkats buck the trend?
Northwestern suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Kokomo in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
