It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but North Central had no problem doing just that on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Barnwell Warhorses a 10-0 shutout. North Central might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won seven matchups by nine runs or more this season.
Mackenzie Melton made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Melton has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive pitching appearances. Melton was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Emily Rumple, who scored a run while going 4-for-4. Another player making a difference was Laurel Rodgers, who went 1-for-3 with a triple, a run, and an RBI.
On Barnwell's side, they saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brooklyn Gordon, who went 1-for-2 with a double.
The victory was the fifth in a row for North Central, bringing their record for this year to 16-7. As for Barnwell, their defeat ended a 12-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 23-4.
As of now, neither North Central nor Barnwell have any future games scheduled.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
