Niles West is 9-1 against Niles North since April of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Niles West Wolves will head out on the road to take on the Niles North Vikings at 4:45 p.m. Niles West will be strutting in after a victory while Niles North will be coming in after a loss.
Niles West never got on the board in their matchup on Friday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Maine East last Tuesday. They blew past the Blue Demons 13-1. With that win, Niles West brought their scoring average up to 6.8 runs per game.
Penny Hutchinson was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Hutchinson was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Niles West got a massive performance out of Genciana Ortiz, who went 4-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and a triple. Mackenzie Bickhaus was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Niles North was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. Their rough 11-5 loss to Vernon Hills might stick with them for a while.
Like Niles West, Niles North also got a great game from a two-way player: Charlotte Williams. She pitched 2.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit (she also only allowed one walk). Williams has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Williams was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-2.
Williams wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Amaya Kang, who went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, a double, and an RBI.
Niles West's victory bumped their record up to 2-3. As for Niles North, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-4-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Niles West has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Niles North struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Niles West's way against Niles North in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 as Niles West made off with an 8-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Niles West since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
