The NorthWood Panthers will face off against the New Prairie Cougars on Saturday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with NorthWood sitting on three straight wins and New Prairie on nine.
NorthWood is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They came out on top against West Noble by a score of 8-3.
Connor Reed made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits (and only one walk). Those 12 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played.
Mason Bogan
| 06/02/25 vs West Noble | 3 |
| 05/31/25 vs Fairfield | 2 |
| 05/10/25 vs Culver Academies | 2 |
| 04/30/25 vs Mishawaka | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs West Noble | 2 |
In other batting news, NorthWood let Mason Bogan and Mason Warren run wild. Bogan went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI, while Warren got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. Those three stolen bases gave Bogan a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ryder Ransberger, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one stolen base.
NorthWood always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as West Noble only posted an OBP of .185.
Meanwhile, New Prairie hadn't done well against South Bend Saint Joseph recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. The Cougars walked away with a 7-4 victory over the Huskies. That's two games straight that the Cougars have won by exactly three runs.
Beau Kmiecik was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Kmiecik was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with three RBI and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jordan Davis, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and two doubles. Reed Robinson was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
NorthWood's win bumped their record up to 19-12. As for New Prairie, their victory bumped their record up to 21-9.
NorthWood skirted past New Prairie 4-2 in their previous matchup back in April. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
