The National Trail Blazers will head out on the road to take on the Tri-County North Panthers at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as National Trail comes in on three and Tri-County North on four.
While National Trail's win against Mississinawa Valley wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Blazers had just enough and edged out the Blackhawks 8-7.
National Trail let Grady Ott and Braylon Coffey run wild. Ott went 2-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double, while Coffey went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. Those RBI were Coffey's first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Cooper Smith, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Fans were treated to a battle of the Panthers on Thursday. Tri-County North was the clear victor by an 11-1 margin over Twin Valley South. Considering Tri-County North has won three matches by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Malachi Wright spent all five innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on one hit.
At the plate, Braylen Keener was a standout: he scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024. Garner Parlett was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Tri-County North always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Tri-County North's victory was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for National Trail, their record is now 3-4.
National Trail took their victory against Tri-County North when the teams last played back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 12-5 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blazers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
