Northwestern is 0-7 against Harbor Creek since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Northwestern Wildcats will be playing in front of their home fans against the Harbor Creek Huskies at 4:00 p.m. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Northwestern took a 11-point loss the last time they faced off against Seneca, but they managed to turn things around on Tuesday. Northwestern narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Seneca 5-3. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Northwestern.
The team relied heavily on Nick Timm, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2. Another player making a difference was David White, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Harbor Creek got themselves on the board against St. John on Friday, but St. John never followed suit. They were the clear victor by a 15-0 margin over the Fighting Herald. The high-scoring effort was just what Harbor Creek needed considering they were shutout in their previous contest.
Sam LaFuria made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only one hit over four innings pitched. LaFuria was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Tyler Burick was incredible, going 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and a triple. Heath Betza was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Northwestern now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Harbor Creek, the victory also got them back to even at 2-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Northwestern has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Harbor Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.5. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Northwestern came up short against Harbor Creek when the teams last played back in May of 2023, falling 7-2. Can Northwestern avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
