North Central hasn't had much luck against Montpelier recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Eagles are taking a road trip to face off against the Locomotives at 5:00 p.m. North Central has given up an average of 13.4 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Tuesday just wasn't the day for North Central's offense. They came up short against Hilltop on Tuesday, falling 24-0. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Eagles' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Meanwhile, Montpelier had already won seven in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it eight on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by an 11-2 margin over the Tigers. Considering the Locomotives have won seven games by more than eight runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Madelyn Hopper made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 17 over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 15 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lyla Mahan, who went 4-for-5 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Maggie Jacob, who went 2-for-5 with four runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Montpelier hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Holgate struck out 17 times.
Montpelier pushed their record up to 12-5 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for North Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-9.
North Central might still be hurting after the 11-1 loss they got from Montpelier in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Eagles avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
