Newman Central Catholic is 2-8 against Erie-Prophetstown since April of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Comets will challenge the Panthers at 4:30 p.m. Newman Central Catholic is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Newman Central Catholic was handed a 15-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Bureau Valley 6-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Comets have posted since March 26th.
Gianna Vance spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and two unearned) runs on five hits. Those hits were her first of the season.
On the hitting side, Lucy Oetting was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run and two runs. That home run marked the first that she launched this season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Erie-Prophetstown). They blew past Newman Central Catholic 19-4 on Monday. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Comets recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Erie-Prophetstown let Lilly Swatos and Jaylynn Hamilton run wild. Swatos went 1-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs, while Hamilton scored three runs while getting on base in all six of her plate appearances. That's the most runs Hamilton has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Hannah Ryan, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of her six plate appearances.
Erie-Prophetstown always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .569. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matches.
The victory got Erie-Prophetstown back to even at 6-6. As for Newman Central Catholic, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-8.
Newman Central Catholic might still be hurting after the 19-4 defeat they got from Erie-Prophetstown when the teams last played on Monday. Can the Comets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
