Central Noble and Lakeland are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2017, but likely not for long. The Cougars will host the Lakers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in Central Noble's favor as the squad sits on five straight wins at home while Lakeland has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
Central Noble gave up the first runs on Tuesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 6-2 victory over Garrett.
Grace Swank
| 05/06/25 @ Garrett | 1 |
| 05/05/25 @ Fairfield | 0 |
| 04/29/25 @ Eastside | 2 |
| 04/26/25 vs Norwell | 2 |
Grace Swank spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on one hit and racked up 19 Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Central Noble let Nevaeh Schoup and Avery Deter run wild. Schoup went 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI, while Deter went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run. That double was Schoup's first of the season. Another player making a difference was Kierra Bolen, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Central Noble hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in ten consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Lakeland can bid farewell to their six-game losing streak thanks to their game on Tuesday. Everything went their way against West Noble as they made off with an 11-2 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Lakers considering their one-run performance the match before.
Shakthi Ramachandran spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on four hits and racked up 12 Ks.
On the hitting side, Kylee Waldron and Reahgan Adams did most of the damage at the plate: Waldron went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two doubles, while Adams went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those two doubles gave Adams a new career-high. Arianna Bustos was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Central Noble is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.9 runs over those games. As for Lakeland, their win bumped their record up to 4-10.
Lakeland's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Central Noble has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.4 hits per game. It's a different story for Lakeland, though, as they've been averaging 10.1 hits. Given Central Noble's sizable advantage in that area, the Lakers will need to find a way to close that gap. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
