The Carroll Chargers will stay at home for another game and welcome the Norwell Knights at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Carroll: 3.7, Norwell: 3.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Wednesday, Carroll narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Bellmont 5-4.
Eric Tratnyek spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Logan Inman was excellent, going 3-for-3 with three RBI and a double. Another player making a difference was Jaxon Sparks, who went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases and a double.
Meanwhile, Norwell was able to grind out a solid win over Fort Wayne Northrop on Wednesday, taking the game 6-2.
Norwell also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and he was also dialed-in: Cade Shelton gave up just two earned runs on five hits and racked up six Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Drew Graft, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Carroll pushed their record up to 17-8 with that victory, which was their ninth straight at home. As for Norwell, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-7 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Carroll has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Norwell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Carroll came out on top in a nail-biter against Norwell when the teams last played back in May of 2023, sneaking past 2-1. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Norwell's Graham Gaier, who didn't allow a single earned run over 6.2 innings pitched. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be that much easier for Carroll to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
