The Northside Rams will take on the West Blocton Tigers at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Northside 3.3, West Blocton 3.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Northside is returning home triumphant after the team finally put their road woes behind them against John Carroll Catholic on Thursday. The Rams put the hurt on the Cavaliers with a sharp 14-1 win. Considering the Rams have won 11 contests by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Avery Patton made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. Patton was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2. That's the most runs she has posted since back in February.
In other batting news, Caroline Jones was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with four RBI and one double. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Stripling, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and two RBI.
Northside was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .464. They are 12-3-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, West Blocton has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 3.55 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Thursday. They came up short against American Christian Academy, falling 12-6. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Tigers have suffered since April 18, 2024.
Jacey Register was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3. That stolen base was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Crimson Calhoun, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Northside's victory bumped their record up to 17-11-1. As for West Blocton, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-7.
Northside was able to grind out a solid win over West Blocton when the teams last played back in March of 2019, winning 9-5. Will the Rams repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
