Shady Side Academy is preparing for their first conference matchup of the season on Friday. They will host the Northgate Flames at 4:30 p.m.
After dropping their season opener at home, Northgate is headed out to face a Bulldogs squad ready to give their home crowd a win. Shady Side Academy lost 16-0 to Sewickley Academy on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Northgate came tearing into last Wednesday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Lions by a score of 11-7. While the Flames didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-11), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Johna Abramowicz made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 14 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and six unearned) runs off eight hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of her seven plate appearances with three RBI, one triple, and one run. That triple was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Michaela DeFlorimonte was incredible, scoring four runs while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Bayleigh Hooper, who scored a run while going 3-for-5.
Northgate kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as New Brighton only managed seven hits.
Everything went Shady Side Academy's way against Northgate in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, as Shady Side Academy made off with a 10-0 win. Will the Bulldogs repeat their success, or do the Flames have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
