The North Decatur Chargers will venture away from home to face off against the Knightstown Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
North Decatur lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Switzerland County, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Saturday's matchup. The Chargers were the clear victors by an 18-8 margin over the Pacers on Saturday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Chargers.
Xander Jones was incredible, getting on base in five of his six plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. What's more, he posted three hits, the most he's had since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Grayson Downey, who went 1-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
North Decatur always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .583. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Switzerland County only posted an OBP of .400.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Knightstown). They put the hurt on Union County with a sharp 26-6 win on Saturday. The victory continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Patriots: they've now won three in a row.
Henry Schmidt looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Travis Louks, who went 4-for-5 with five RBI, two runs, and one double. Corey Cole also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
North Decatur pushed their record up to 8-6 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.3 runs over those games. As for Knightstown, their record now sits at 13-3.
North Decatur suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Knightstown in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Can the Chargers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
