The Boardman Spartans will square off against the Riverside Beavers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Boardman 3.2, Riverside 2.3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Monday as neither Boardman nor Hoover made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Spartans fell just short of the Vikings by a score of 7-6. The defeat continues a trend for the Spartans in their meetings with the Vikings: they've now lost five in a row.
Kate Thames made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with four RBI and one double. Another player making a difference was Addie Rudge, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Riverside entered their tilt with North on Wednesday with 13 consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with 14. They were the clear victors by an 18-2 margin over the Rangers. Considering the Beavers have won ten contests by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Maddy Kevern made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Those ten strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Clara Granchi, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and five RBI. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Maddi Proud was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Riverside was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .667. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in ten consecutive matchups.
Riverside's win bumped their record up to 15-2. As for Boardman, their loss dropped their record down to 9-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Boardman has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Riverside struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Boardman beat Riverside 4-0 when the teams last played back in June of 2025. Do the Spartans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Beavers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
