The North Newton Spartans will challenge the Riverton Parke Panthers at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with North Newton sitting on eight straight victories and Riverton Parke on four.
North Newton is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Westville a 4-0 shutout. The Spartans' pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last six games.
Sydney Rainford made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 20 consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in May.
Rainford wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Riley Higgins, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Riverton Parke made easy work of Clinton Prairie on Tuesday and carried off a 12-2 win. Considering the Panthers have won 22 contests by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like North Newton, Riverton Parke also got a great game from a two-way player: Jayleigh Inman. She didn't allow a single earned run over six innings pitched. Inman was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and one triple.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lizzy Leitgabel, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season. Rylee Jukes was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three runs and one stolen base.
Riverton Parke's victory bumped their record up to 26-4. As for North Newton, their win bumped their record up to 21-3-1.
