Baseball Game Preview: Northwestern Wildcats vs. North East Grape Pickers

Northwestern hasn't had much luck against North East recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Wildcats will head out on the road to square off against the Grape Pickers at 4:00 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.

Northwestern fell victim to Conneaut Area and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 1-0. The Wildcats' defeat continues a trend for the team, making it four in a row.

Joe Schaukowitsch spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on two hits and racked up six Ks.

Meanwhile, North East came up short against Fairview on Wednesday and fell 7-4. The Grape Pickers have struggled against the Tigers recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive lost meeting.

Jerek Turlij made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.

Having lost for the first time this season, North East fell to 9-1. As for Northwestern, their loss dropped their record down to 2-5.

Northwestern skirted past North East 2-1 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.