The Central Noble Cougars will head out on the road to challenge the DeKalb Barons at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Central Noble is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Central Noble will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Westview on Wednesday. Everything went Central Noble's way against Westview as Central Noble made off with a 12-3 victory. The win was nothing new for Central Noble as they're now sitting on three straight.
Kensy Kimmell made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Kimmell has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in six consecutive pitching appearances. Kimmell was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
In other batting news, Kierra Bolen was incredible, scoring four runs while going 4-for-5. Another player making a difference was Kaitlyn Tilley, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, DeKalb unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Wednesday. They wound up on the wrong side of a tough 13-1 walloping at the hands of Eastside. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for DeKalb in their matchups with Eastside: they've now lost three in a row.
DeKalb saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Paige Storck, who went 1-for-2 with a double.
Central Noble has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. As for DeKalb, they now have a losing record at 4-5.
DeKalb's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Central Noble has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9 hits per game. It's a different story for DeKalb, though, as they've been averaging 8.9. Given Central Noble's sizable advantage in that area, DeKalb will need to find a way to close that gap.
Central Noble took their victory against DeKalb in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 6-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Central Noble since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
