Baseball Recap: Northland Has No Trouble Against Marion-Franklin

Vikings

Margin (Wins)

04/14/25 @ Columbus International	21
03/28/25 vs Columbus International	12
04/07/25 vs Linden-McKinley	10
04/21/25 @ Marion-Franklin	8
04/11/25 vs Beechcroft	6

After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Mifflin, Northland was happy to have turned things around on Monday. They put the hurt on the Marion-Franklin Red Devils with a sharp 18-10 victory. The result was nothing new for the Vikings, who have now won five matchups by six runs or more so far this season.

The team relied heavily on Dana Byrd, who went 3-for-4 with seven stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Northland's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 4-1 (and 2-3-1 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Daymon Busby-Brantley, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.

Northland always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .619. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Northland has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-4-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.8 runs over those games. As for Marion-Franklin, the loss snapped their winning streak at three games and leaves them with a 5-4 record.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Northland will venture away from home to take on Eastmoor Academy at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The Vikings' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Warriors have averaged an impressive 12.6 runs per game this season. As for Marion-Franklin, they will head out to challenge Whetstone at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Braves' pitching crew has only allowed 3.1 runs per game this season, so the Red Devils' hitters will have their work cut out for them.