Northwestern is 1-9 against North East since May of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Wildcats will host the Grape Pickers at 6:30 p.m. Northwestern has given up an average of 7.4 runs per game this season, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Having struggled with four defeats in a row, Northwestern turned things around against Youngsville on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out the Eagles 12-11.
Zac Johnson
| 05/13/25 @ Youngsville | 3 |
| 03/24/25 @ Seneca | 2 |
| 04/24/25 vs Eisenhower | 1 |
| 04/22/25 @ Corry | 1 |
| 04/17/25 @ North East | 1 |
Zac Johnson was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Johnson was also stellar in the batter's box, going 4-for-5 with three runs. Those three runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Northwestern got a massive performance out of Kaleb Stout, who got on base in five of his six plate appearances with three runs, two RBI, and one double. Those three runs gave Stout a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Joe Schaukowitsch, who went 3-for-5 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base.
Northwestern kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 20 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.5 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 8.8.
Meanwhile, Monday just wasn't the day for North East's offense. They fell just short of Corry by a score of 1-0 on Monday. The Grape Pickers' loss continues a trend for the squad, making it three in a row.
Jerek Turlij put in work while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 15 over 5.2 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in ten consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Turlij wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Colton Owens, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
Northwestern's victory bumped their record up to 4-12. As for North East, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-5.
Northwestern suffered a grim 13-3 defeat to North East when the teams last played back in April. Will the Wildcats have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
