North Central hasn't had much luck against Clay City recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Thunderbirds will square off against the Eels at 6:30 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
North Central is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand White River Valley a 10-0 shutout. The Thunderbirds not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since April 28th (when they won 14-4).
Lane Phegley was a major factor no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 17 over seven innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because North Central is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 3-14 otherwise. Phegley was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high.
Colton Taylor
| 05/29/25 vs White River Valley | 2 |
| 05/09/25 vs Riverton Parke | 1 |
| 05/08/25 @ South Vermillion | 1 |
| 04/28/25 vs North Vermillion | 1 |
| 04/10/25 @ Owen Valley | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Colton Taylor, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high. Caden Bays was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Clay City posted their closest victory since April 12, 2024 on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out Bloomfield 3-2.
Like North Central, Clay City also got a great game from a two-way player: Trey Dayhoff. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. Dayhoff was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Dayhoff wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Zain Keller, who went 2-for-4 with one RBI.
North Central's record is now 6-14. As for Clay City, they now have a winning record of 9-8.
North Central suffered a grim 7-1 defeat to Clay City in their previous meeting back in April. Can the Thunderbirds avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
