The Harrison Central Huskies will head out on the road to face off against the Beaver Local Beavers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Last Wednesday, Harrison Central got the win against Brooke by a conclusive 8-2. The Huskies might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by six runs or more this season.
Emma Skinner spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on three hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Kelsey Powers, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. She also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Olivia Tonkovich, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Beaver Local). Their pitchers stepped up to hand East Liverpool a 19-0 shutout on Wednesday. The victory continues a trend for the Beavers in their matchups with the Potters: they've now won eight in a row.
Addie Thurik and Addie Hoppel were a major factor while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Thurik struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Hoppel pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At bat, Thurik scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4, while Hoppel scored two runs while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Beaver Local let Ciara Call and Tatum Duncan run wild. Call fired off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 2-for-3, while Duncan went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, seven RBI, and one double. Those seven RBI gave Duncan a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brylee Curtis, who went 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Beaver Local always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .639. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matchups.
The win made it two in a row for Harrison Central and bumps their season record up to 4-2. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Beaver Local, their record now sits at 4-1.
Harrison Central came out on top in a nail-biter against Beaver Local when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 7-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Huskies since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
