The Northfield Nighthawks will venture away from home to face off against the Gateway Olympians at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Northfield is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.3 runs per game this season.
Northfield barely beat Thomas Jefferson the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Nighthawks came out on top against the Spartans on Tuesday by a score of 11-1 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Nighthawks considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Jacob Lawson
| 04/29/25 vs Thomas Jefferson | 6 |
| 04/23/25 @ Arvada West | 1 |
| 04/14/25 @ Lutheran | 5 |
| 04/09/25 @ Summit | 7 |
Jacob Lawson looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. That's the most strikeouts he has posted over his last four matchups.
On the hitting side, Eli Jackson and Cooper Haslar did most of the damage at the plate: Jackson went 3-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base, while Haslar went 1-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most doubles Jackson has posted over his last 12 games. Ryder Wicks also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Northfield was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Thomas Jefferson only posted a batting average of .100.
Meanwhile, Gateway posted their closest victory since April 1st on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out Thornton 6-4. The Olympians haven't had any issues with the Trojans recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.
Maikol Ochoa made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Ochoa was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
In other batting news, Heber Almeida was excellent, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Gateway's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 7-1 (and 3-6 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Roberto Rosario, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Gateway's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-7. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 8 runs. As for Northfield, their record now sits at 15-3.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Northfield has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .462. However, it's not like Gateway struggles in that department as they've averaged .536. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
