The Central Noble Cougars will challenge the DeKalb Barons at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Central Noble took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Lakewood Park Christian a 10-0 shutout. Considering the Cougars have won three matchups by more than nine runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Grace Swank
| 04/17/25 vs Lakewood Park Christian | 1 |
| 04/15/25 @ Fremont | 1 |
| 04/14/25 vs East Noble | 2 |
| 04/03/25 vs Southern Wells | 1 |
Grace Swank made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 15 over six innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Avery Deter, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2024. Kennedy Vice was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs.
Central Noble hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lakewood Park Christian struck out 15 times.
Meanwhile, DeKalb won against Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger on Tuesday with ten runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Wednesday. The Barons were the clear victors by a 10-1 margin over Fort Wayne Snider. With that victory, the Barons brought their scoring average up to 6.4 runs per game.
Like Central Noble, DeKalb also got a great game from a two-way player: Summer Haverstock. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over six innings pitched. Haverstock was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, Paige Storck was a standout: she went 3-for-5 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. That double marked the first that she has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Stella Mix, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
The win was the third in a row for DeKalb, bringing their record up to 4-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.7 runs over those games. As for Central Noble, the win got them back to even at 3-3.
Central Noble beat DeKalb 5-0 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Barons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
