The Montpelier Locomotives will take on the Paulding Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Montpelier will be strutting in after a win while Paulding will be coming in after a loss.
Montpelier had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the six-run drubbing they dealt North Central on Friday. The Locomotives blew past the Eagles 6-0. The Locomotives haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Not much got past Wesley Hartsock, who gave up just a hit and racked up 11 Ks to keep North Central off the board. Hartsock has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Montpelier let Kenneth Smeltzer and Jaxon Stahler run wild. Smeltzer scored a run and stole three bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances, while Stahler went a perfect 2-for-2 with two doubles and one stolen base. That's the most stolen bases Smeltzer has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Griffin Cooley, who scored two runs and stole four bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Paulding fell victim to Wayne Trace and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They lost 15-0 to the Raiders. The defeat continues a trend for the Panthers in their meetings with the Raiders: they've now lost four in a row.
Montpelier's win bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Paulding, their loss dropped their record down to 1-3.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
