Baseball Game Preview: Pleasant Spartans vs. Fairbanks Panthers

The Pleasant Spartans will head out on the road to take on the Fairbanks Panthers at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

The scorekeeper got an easy start on Thursday as neither Pleasant nor Marion Harding made it on the board until the seventh inning. The Spartans won by a run and slipped past the Presidents 4-3. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Spartans as it put an end to their six-game losing streak.

Johnathan Maran

Earned Runs

04/30/25 vs Galion	2
04/14/25 @ Kenton	1

Johnathan Maran tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Pleasant is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 2-8 otherwise.

On the hitting side, Avery Hamper was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Fairbanks posted their closest win since April 15th on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 victory over Hardin Northern. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.

Fairbanks saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Nolan Baker, who went 1-for-2 with one run.

Pleasant's record is now 4-9. As for Fairbanks, their record now sits at 7-10.

Pleasant came out on top in a nail-biter against Fairbanks in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. Do the Spartans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.