The Madisonville-North Hopkins Maroons will head out to square off against the Owensboro Catholic Aces at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Madisonville-North Hopkins has three straight wins, Owensboro Catholic has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Saturday, Madisonville-North Hopkins made easy work of Ohio County and carried off a 12-2 victory. The result was nothing new for the Maroons, who have now won six contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Mackenzie Stoltz was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 11 over six innings pitched. Stoltz was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sydney Skeen, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Sophie Frailley was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, one stolen base, and one run.
Madisonville-North Hopkins always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .553. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Ohio County only posted an OBP of .200.
Daviess County hit Owensboro Catholic with a ten-run first inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Aces lost 15-0 to the Panthers.
Madisonville-North Hopkins' record now sits at 11-6. As for Owensboro Catholic, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-8.
Owensboro Catholic's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Monday. Madisonville-North Hopkins has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.1 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Owensboro Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 2.8 strikeouts. Will Madisonville-North Hopkins keep running through batters, or will the Aces buck the trend?
Madisonville-North Hopkins came up short against Owensboro Catholic in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 7-2. Can the Maroons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
