Lakeland had lost four straight on the road, but on Thursday they dropped their record down to 4-11 to make it five. They lost 9-1 to the Central Noble Cougars. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Lakers couldn't push the score so high this time.
As for Central Noble, they are on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten games. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 9.6 runs.
For Central Noble's part, Grace Swank made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 15 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Swank has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Kendra Smith was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. Those two runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kaitlyn Tilley, who went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Lakeland will host Elkhart Christian Academy at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. As for Central Noble, they will look to defend their home field on Saturday against Goshen at 9:00 a.m.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
