Polar Bears
| 05/14/26 @ New Riegel | 1 |
| 05/11/26 vs Upper Scioto Valley | 13 |
| 05/07/26 @ Lima Central Catholic | 14 |
| 04/28/26 vs Elgin | 15 |
| + 15 more games |
The Hardin Northern Polar Bears will face off against the Carey Blue Devils at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Hardin Northern is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.6 runs per game this season.
Hardin Northern is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering New Riegel just ended the team's 11-game winning streak on Thursday. They took a 5-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Blue Jackets. Having soared to a lofty 13 runs in the game before, the Polar Bears couldn't push the score so high this time.
Hardin Northern saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Vivan Overs, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Carey, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Colonel Crawford on Thursday as they made off with a 10-3 victory. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Blue Devils considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
Tylinn Stoll was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off nine hits (and only one walk). That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in April. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with four RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Danika Hanna, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Bayah Harsanje, who went 3-for-4 with three runs and one RBI.
Carey's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-12. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.5 runs over those games. As for Hardin Northern, their defeat dropped their record down to 17-3.
Hardin Northern's speedy runners might be the difference in Saturday's game. The Polar Bears have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Carey, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Hardin Northern continue to outrun the ball?
Hardin Northern couldn't quite get it done against Carey when the teams last played back in May of 2018 as they fell 5-1. Will the Polar Bears have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
