The North Decatur Chargers will challenge the Knightstown Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
North Decatur is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Tri a 13-0 shutout. Winning may never get old, but the Chargers sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Kamdenn McKinney made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. North Decatur is undefeated when McKinney posts two or more runs, but 8-9 otherwise.
Henry Kinker
| 05/31/25 vs Tri | 5 |
| 04/11/25 vs Morristown | 3 |
| 05/01/25 vs Tri | 2 |
| 05/29/25 vs Southwestern | 1 |
| 05/16/25 vs Southwestern | 1 |
In other batting news, North Decatur got a massive performance out of Henry Kinker, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. Those five RBI gave Kinker a new career-high. Tyler Dean was another key player, going 1-for-2 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
North Decatur hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Knightstown made easy work of Morristown on Saturday and carried off a 14-2 win. That's two games straight that the Panthers have won by exactly 12 runs.
Carter Gossett looked comfortable as he struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits (and only one walk).
On the hitting side, Kelton Weaver was incredible, going 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. That double marked the first that he has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Jackson Daves, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Knightstown is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.2 runs over those games. As for North Decatur, their record now sits at 16-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. North Decatur has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Knightstown struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
North Decatur might still be hurting after the 17-7 defeat they got from Knightstown when the teams last played back in May. Can the Chargers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
