Softball Recap: North Central Turns Things Around After Road Loss

Knights

Margin (Wins)

02/21/25 @ Richland Northeast	19
03/27/25 @ Central	18
03/01/25 vs Ridge Spring-Monetta	12
04/08/25 vs Cheraw	10
03/24/25 vs Dreher	10

There's no place like home for North Central, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They never let the Cheraw Braves get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory on Tuesday. The result was nothing new for the Knights, who have now won five games by ten runs or more so far this season.

Mackenzie Melton made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2024.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Addie Bittner, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April of 2024.

North Central is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Cheraw, they are on an 11-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-8.

Looking ahead, North Central will head out on the road to face off against Andrew Jackson at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Cheraw, they will look to defend their home field on Wednesday against Anson at 6:00 p.m. The Bearcats have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 9.95 runs per game on average), something the Braves will no doubt try to take advantage of.