The Woodstock North Thunder will head out to square off against the Badger Badgers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.
Woodstock North is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 15 runs on Monday, they were much more limited against Woodstock on Tuesday. They took a 4-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Blue Streaks.
Woodstock North got a good showing from Brad Lalor, who tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. That's the first time Lalor hasn't allowed a single earned run over his last five contests.
At the plate, Woodstock North saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brady Rogers, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base. Grant Schnulle also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Badger waltzed into their match on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came out on top against the Vikings by a score of 10-6.
Troy Hibbard looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits.
On the hitting side, Matthew O'Grady was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Gavin Stewart, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Badger's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-5. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. As for Woodstock North, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost four of their last five games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 9-12 record this season.
Woodstock North couldn't quite finish off Badger in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 and fell 7-5. Can the Thunder avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
