Preston is 0-7 against North Marion since April of 2016 but things could change on Thursday. The Knights will look to defend their home field against the Huskies at 5:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Preston is headed into Thursday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fifth straight game on Wednesday. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 13-12 heartbreaker at the hands of Fairmont Senior. On the bright side, the 12- run effort marked the Knights' highest-scoring match to date.
Rhylinn Sanders was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and seven unearned) runs off five hits. Sanders was even better at the plate, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
In other batting news, Ava Thistlethwaite made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-5. She also brought in two RBI, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Sophie Zinn, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one double.
North Marion hadn't beaten Liberty on the road since April 9, 2019 but that history sure didn't bother them on Wednesday. The Huskies put the hurt on the Mountaineers with a sharp 25-10 victory. The Huskies might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by six runs or more this season.
Like Preston, North Marion also got a great game from a two-way player: Bella Talkington. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over three innings while giving up just one earned (and seven unearned) runs off three hits. Those seven strikeouts gave Talkington a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and one double.
In other batting news, North Marion got a massive performance out of Maci Singleton, who scored five runs and stole a base while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave Singleton a new career-high in hits (three). Brooke Toothman was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI.
North Marion kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 22 hits. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
The win got North Marion back to even at 4-4. As for Preston, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-6.
