The Central Noble Cougars will face off against the Lakeland Lakers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Central Noble is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They walked away with an 8-4 victory over West Noble last Monday. The win continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Chargers: they've now won eight in a row.
Corbin Douglas was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and one double. Those runs marked the first that he has scored this season.
Parker Boots
| 04/28/25 vs West Noble | 4 |
| 05/16/24 @ Churubusco | 2 |
| 05/13/24 @ Lakewood Park Christian | 2 |
| 05/03/24 vs Bethany Christian | 2 |
| 04/21/25 vs Fort Wayne Canterbury | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Parker Boots, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Landyn Champion, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Lakeland beat West Noble 4-1 on Tuesday.
Like Central Noble, Lakeland also got a great game from a two-way player: Carson Mickem. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out ten over six innings pitched. Mickem was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
In other batting news, Carter Crouse was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Lakeland is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Central Noble, they picked up their first home win, bumping their record up to 2-5.
Central Noble came out on top in a nail-biter against Lakeland when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 5-4. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Lakers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
