Baseball Game Preview: Newark Wildcats vs. Pickerington North Panthers

Newark is 0-4 against Pickerington North since April of 2016 but things could change on Thursday. The Wildcats will look to defend their home field against the Panthers at 5:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Newark 3.4, Pickerington North 2.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Newark fell victim to Lancaster and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They fell just short of the Golden Gales by a score of 2-0. The contest marked the first time this year in which the Wildcats were not able to get on the board.

The scorekeeper got an easy start on Wednesday as neither Pickerington North nor Upper Arlington made it on the board until the seventh inning. The Panthers fell just short of the Golden Bears by a score of 4-3.

Sam Waites spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Jack Chabot made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Wes Welling, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.

Newark's loss dropped their record down to 17-4. As for Pickerington North, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-8.

Newark couldn't quite finish off Pickerington North in their previous matchup back in May of 2025 and fell 8-6. Can the Wildcats avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.