The Dakota Indians will head out to challenge the North Boone Vikings at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Dakota is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.3 runs per game this season.
On Friday, Dakota came up short against Eastland and fell 11-6.
Brayden Larson
| 03/30/26 vs Stillman Valley | 4 |
| 05/11/26 vs East Dubuque | 3 |
| 05/01/26 @ Morrison | 3 |
| 04/07/26 @ Orangeville | 3 |
| 05/15/26 @ Eastland | 2 |
| + 6 more games |
Dakota saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brayden Larson, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and one double. The Indians are 7-2 when Larson posts two or more runs, but 3-7 otherwise. Brodie Goode was another, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Meanwhile, North Boone had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 16-3 margin over the Hawks. Considering the Vikings have won 11 games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Max Bartlett made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 1-for-1 with two RBI and one run.
North Boone was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .455. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .375 or higher in three consecutive contests.
North Boone's record now sits at 16-14. As for Dakota, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Dakota has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like North Boone struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Dakota came up short against North Boone in their previous meeting back in March of 2025, falling 10-7. Can the Indians avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
