Hardin Northern and Ridgemont are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2016, but likely not for long. The Hardin Northern Polar Bears will head out on the road to face off against the Ridgemont Golden Gophers at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hardin Northern is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.4 runs per game this season.
Hardin Northern put the finishing touches on their third blowout victory of the season on Monday. They put the hurt on Ridgedale with a sharp 11-4 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Hardin Northern.
Kruz Curtis and Landon Wetherill made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Curtis tossed four innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Meanwhile, Wetherill tossed 2.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit (he also didn't allow any walks). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. At the plate, Curtis scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Wetherill scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Xander Wilson was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Ridgemont was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They wound up on the wrong side of a rough 13-3 walloping at the hands of Upper Scioto Valley.
Ridgemont saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jayden Sifrit, who went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Hardin Northern has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. As for Ridgemont, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Hardin Northern has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Ridgemont struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Hardin Northern beat Ridgemont 6-3 in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Ridgemont's Jebadiah Mcgue, who struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Hardin Northern to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
