Fort Wayne Northrop hasn't had much luck against Homestead recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Bruins are taking a road trip to square off against the Spartans at 5:30 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Fort Wayne Northrop is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Fort Wayne North Side a 27-0 shutout on Thursday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bruins.
Owen McCarty
| 05/08/25 vs Fort Wayne North Side | 12 |
| 04/14/25 @ Leo | 3 |
| 05/03/25 vs Homestead | 1 |
| 04/25/25 @ Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger | 1 |
Owen McCarty was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Those 12 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Carter Arndell, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. Those two hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jason Sheppard, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI.
Fort Wayne Northrop always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .591. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Homestead posted their closest win since April 14th on Monday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Carroll, sneaking past 5-3.
Ryne Michaeloff looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Shane Bardwell was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played.
Homestead's victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-2. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Fort Wayne Northrop, they picked up their first home victory, bumping their record up to 3-15.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Fort Wayne Northrop has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Homestead struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Fort Wayne Northrop suffered a grim 11-2 defeat to Homestead when the teams last played on Saturday. Can the Bruins avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
