The Center Grove Trojans will face off against the Noblesville Millers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Center Grove 3.1, Noblesville 3.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Center Grove is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: Zionsville, who was ranked second at the time (Center Grove was ranked fifth). The Trojans never let the Eagles get on the board and left with a 2-0 victory on Thursday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Trojans.
Kara Biever looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, Center Grove saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Taylor Barrett, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI. Erica Burris also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last contest, Noblesville made sure to put some runs up on the board against Kokomo on Thursday. The Millers put the hurt on the Wildkats with a sharp 16-0 win. Considering the Millers have won seven matches by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Roslyn Ervin was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over five innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in strikeouts (four). She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 1-for-1 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Noblesville got a big performance out of Brookelyn Grayson, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Haley Schatko, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Noblesville was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .576. They are a perfect 9-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Noblesville is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Center Grove, their win bumped their record up to 12-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Center Grove has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Noblesville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Center Grove beat Noblesville 14-10 when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Do the Trojans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Millers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
