The North Central Panthers will face off against the Living Water Homeschool Marlins at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Having struggled with seven defeats in a row, North Central turned things around against Lawrence Central on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 9-2 margin over the Bears. The Panthers not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since April 29th (when they won 16-4).
Kaelee Jacobs made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched six innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits. Jacobs was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Samantha Saalfrank was incredible, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaia Pantos, who went 2-for-3 with two runs.
North Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are 6-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Living Water Homeschool waltzed into their game on Monday with nine straight wins... but they left with ten. They didn't even let the Bears on the board, marking their second-straight 9-0 shutout. The Marlins might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 contests by eight runs or more this season.
Nora Levy was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with two runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Macy Bush, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Susie Drake was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.
Living Water Homeschool pushed their record up to 18-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for North Central, their victory bumped their record up to 6-13-1.
North Central beat Living Water Homeschool 5-2 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Marlins have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
