North Central entered their tilt with Central with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They came out on top against the Central Eagles by a score of 9-4 on Thursday. That result was just more of the same for these two, as North Central also won the last time the pair played back in April of 2023.
Mackenzie Melton made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). Melton has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in eight consecutive pitching appearances. Melton was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bailee Baker, who went 1-for-1 with a triple, a run, and an RBI. Emily Rumple was another key contributor, going 3-for-4 with an RBI.
On Central's side, Tashia Quick made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Kinsey Mangum, who went 2-for-3 with a triple, a stolen base, and two RBI.
North Central has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. As for Central, they dropped their record down to 2-8 with that loss, which was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. North Central will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Great Falls at 7:00 p.m. on April 10th. Great Falls hasn't scored more than two runs for four games straight, a trend the squad is eager to reverse. As for Central, they will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Forest Hills at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
