Baseball Game Preview: Bristol Panthers vs. Harding Skippers

Panthers

Runs

04/23/25 @ Maplewood	5
04/22/25 vs Chalker	7
04/17/25 vs Mathews	8
04/16/25 @ Pymatuning Valley	6
04/14/25 vs Windham	13
+ 6 more games

Bristol has gone 6-1 against Harding recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Panthers are taking a road trip to square off against the Skippers at 5:00 p.m. Bristol is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.

The home team had won the previous three meetings between Bristol and Maplewood, and Maplewood kept the tradition alive. The Panthers came up short against the Rockets on Wednesday, falling 12-5.

Bristol saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kaiden Kohler, who went 1-for-4 with three RBI.

Harvey hit Harding with a 12-run sixth inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Skippers lost 19-6 to the Red Raiders. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since April 11, 2019, but that streak is no more.

Elijah Harless put in work no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off seven hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.

Bristol dropped their record down to 5-6 with the loss, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Harding, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-7.

Everything went Bristol's way against Harding when the teams last played back in May of 2024, as Bristol made off with a 13-1 win. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Skippers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.