For the first time this season, North Star will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will head out to challenge the Windber Ramblers at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. North Star will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each matchup than the last.
North Star is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Turkeyfoot Valley Area with a sharp 8-1 win on Monday. The Cougars not only won on Monday, but they posted their biggest win since May 3, 2024.
Max Pristas spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, North Star got a big performance out of Andrew Retassie, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. Nate Orris also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Meanwhile, Windber won against United last Friday with nine runs and they decided to stick to that run total again last Monday. The Ramblers narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Penn Cambria 9-7. Winning may never get old, but the Ramblers sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
The team relied heavily on Lucas Oleksa, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Lucas Rummel, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Windber pushed their record up to 4-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for North Star, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. North Star has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Windber struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
North Star came out on top in a nail-biter against Windber in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 7-6. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Ramblers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
