Baseball Game Preview: North Central Thunderbirds vs. Shakamak Lakers

North Central is 0-10 against Shakamak since May of 2018 but things could change on Tuesday. The Thunderbirds will venture away from home to challenge the Lakers at 5:00 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

North Central was handed a 11-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Monday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Cloverdale 2-1.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Shakamak, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-3 win over Barr-Reeve on Monday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Lakers have posted since April 17th.

Shakamak pushed their record up to 10-8 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.8 runs over those games. As for North Central, their win bumped their record up to 4-12.

North Central suffered a grim 12-2 defeat to Shakamak in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Thunderbirds avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.