The North Central Thunderbirds will face off against the Riverton Parke Panthers at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. North Central will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.
North Central couldn't beat South Vermillion on Thursday even though they stacked five runs on them in the first inning. The Thunderbirds lost 20-10 to the Wildcats. The Thunderbirds haven't had much luck with the Wildcats recently, as the team has come up short the last eight times they've met.
Lane Simmons made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Greydyn Walters was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Riverton Parke). Everything went their way against North Vermillion on Wednesday as they made off with a 25-3 victory. With that win, the Panthers brought their scoring average up to 7.5 runs per game.
Karson Stark made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits. Stark was even better at the plate, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Riverton Parke got a massive performance out of Eli Roberts, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. Those three runs gave Roberts a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Collett Sanders, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Riverton Parke always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .592. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
North Central's defeat dropped their record down to 2-10. As for Riverton Parke, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-4.
North Central couldn't quite get it done against Riverton Parke in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 as they fell 9-4. Will the Thunderbirds have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
