Northview Academy hasn't had much luck against Coalfield recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Yellow Jackets at 5:30 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Northview Academy was handed a 13-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Grainger, sneaking past 3-2. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Cougars as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, Coalfield came tearing into Tuesday's match with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Bobcats get on the board and left with a 13-0 victory. The Yellow Jackets might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 13 contests by six runs or more this season.
Jackson Treece was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. Those 14 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple.
In other batting news, Coalfield got a massive performance out of Luke Treece, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Jorden Steinhauer was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Coalfield lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Coalfield's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-4. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Northview Academy, their record is now 4-17.
Northview Academy couldn't quite get it done against Coalfield when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 5-1. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
