Baseball Recap: Watervliet Comes Up Short

Watervliet entered their game against South Haven on Tuesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Panthers took a 9-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Rams. The Panthers were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Rams earlier this season, when they won 3-2.

Owen Epple was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Caleb Jewell, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.

Watervliet's defeat dropped their record down to 11-2. As for South Haven, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season.

Watervliet and South Haven should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Michigan Rankings. The Panthers (ranked 91st) will meet Buchanan (ranked 297th) at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Meanwhile, South Haven will face off against Fennville at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday with a big rank advantage (87 vs. 515). The timing is sure in the Rams' favor as the squad sits on five straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while the Blackhawks have been banged up by seven consecutive losses on the road.