The Jay Royals will take on the Northview Chiefs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Jay is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last three games.
Jay is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They skirted past Central 7-5.
Jax Lowery made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed 5.2 innings while giving up four earned runs off six hits. Lowery was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Nick Baxley was excellent, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Cam Pierce was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Northview made easy work of Baker on Thursday and carried off a 14-2 victory. Considering the Chiefs have won nine contests by more than nine runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Jay, Northview also got a great game from a two-way player: Grayson Burns. He didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Burns was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with three RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Taylor Curtis was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Cole Davis, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
Northview was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .522. The last time their batting average was this high was back in April of 2025.
Jay's record now sits at 14-6. As for Northview, their record is now 17-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Jay has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Northview struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Jay came up short against Northview in their previous meeting back in March, falling 6-2. Can the Royals avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
