The McCutcheon Mavericks will face off against the Franklin Central Flashes at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. McCutcheon is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
Brownsburg hit McCutcheon with a eight-run fourth inning on Friday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Mavericks came up short against the Bulldogs, falling 13-4.
Kacie Nading was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run. Another player making a difference was Kaidynn Peckinpaugh, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one run.
Meanwhile, while Franklin Central put up plenty of runs on Thursday, the same can't be said for Southport. The Flashes were the clear victors by a 14-0 margin over the Cardinals. The Flashes haven't had any issues with the Cardinals recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Franklin Central also got a great performance from Miley Smith as she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Smith has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, August Coons and Adelaide Hubbard did most of the damage at the plate: Coons went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two doubles, while Hubbard went 2-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Those two doubles gave Coons a new career-high. Maddie Baker also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Franklin Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in five consecutive contests.
Franklin Central's record now sits at 8-6. As for McCutcheon, their loss dropped their record down to 6-5.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Saturday. McCutcheon hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like Franklin Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
McCutcheon beat Franklin Central 6-2 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Do the Mavericks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Flashes turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
