Hanover Central is 8-0 against North Newton since April of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Wednesday. The Hanover Central Wildcats will look to defend their home field against the North Newton Spartans at 5:00 p.m. Hanover Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.6 runs per game this season.
Last Monday, Hanover Central didn't have quite enough to beat Lake Central and fell 3-1. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest runs Hanover Central has scored all season.
Hanover Central saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gabi Comia, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, North Newton waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with ten straight wins... but they left with 11. They were the clear victor by a 17-1 margin over the Rebels. North Newton might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won ten games by ten runs or more this season.
Sydney Rainford and Paige Culbreth made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Rainford struck out nine batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Meanwhile, Culbreth tossed two innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Rainford has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive pitching appearances. At the plate, Rainford scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances, while Culbreth scored a run and stole three bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, North Newton let Brynn Christenson and June Busboom loose on the outfield. Christenson went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles, while Busboom scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Busboom is trending in the right direction, as she's improved her point production for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Cheyann Cahill, who scored two runs and stole four bases while getting on base in two of her four plate appearances.
Hanover Central's loss was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 10-8. As for North Newton, their win bumped their record up to 16-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Hanover Central hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.1 home runs per game. However, it's not like North Newton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Hanover Central took their victory against North Newton when the teams last played back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 12-1. Will Hanover Central repeat their success, or does North Newton have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
