Baseball Game Preview: Pekin Dragons vs. Washington Panthers

Pekin hasn't had much luck against Washington recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Dragons will be playing in front of their home fans against the Panthers at 7:00 p.m.

Pekin is headed into Monday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game on Friday. They fell 8-4 to Brimfield.

Mason Hanvey

Home Runs

04/11/25 vs Brimfield	1
04/01/25 vs Bartlett	1
03/18/25 @ Prairie Central	1

Mason Hanvey made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Pekin: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least one home run, but 3-6 otherwise. Brady Bolen was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Washington was not the first on the board on Saturday, but they got there more often. They had just enough and edged out Ottawa 5-4. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Pirates recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.

Cannon Foster looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.

At the plate, Micah McCoy and Carter Prina did most of the damage at the plate: McCoy scored two runs while going 1-for-3, while Prina went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Hayden Hawksworth, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double.

Washington's victory bumped their record up to 8-5. As for Pekin, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-7.

Pekin suffered a grim 9-1 defeat to Washington when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Dragons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.