The Central Tigers will face off against the Hillsboro Hawks at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Central is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last seven games.
On Monday, Central earned a 5-1 win over Kelly.
Central's victory was truly a team effort as seven different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jathan Spain, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI. Hayden Bowers was another, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.5 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 9.4.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Hillsboro, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Northwest a 10-0 shutout on Tuesday. Considering the Hawks' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Jackson Marks looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Aidan Roland, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Hillsboro: the team is 6-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 4-9 otherwise. Another player making a difference was George Heine, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Hillsboro's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-10. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Central, they now have a winning record of 9-8.
Central couldn't quite get it done against Hillsboro in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 as they fell 7-2. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
