The Cowan Blackhawks will challenge the Northfield Norsemen at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Cowan is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Southern Wells a 10-0 shutout. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Blackhawks.
Thomas Brooks made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in 14 consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jaydon Auker, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Cowan always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .542. The last time their OBP was this high was back in May of 2024.
Meanwhile, Northfield entered their tilt with Daleville on Saturday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They were the clear victors by a 10-3 margin over the Broncos.
Like Cowan, Northfield also got a great game from a two-way player: Caleb Dubois. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Dubois was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, Kam Pratt was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Northfield: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 9-16 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Branson Hayslett, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
The victory got Cowan back to even at 11-11. As for Northfield, their win bumped their record up to 13-16.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cowan has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Northfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
