Baseball Game Preview: Pomperaug Panthers vs. Bethel Wildcats

The Pomperaug Panthers will venture away from home to challenge the Bethel Wildcats at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

On Thursday, Pomperaug sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 win over Weston. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Panthers.

Brandon Schussler made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.

In other pitching news, Franklin Filipone looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances.

Alex Augustine

Hits (Career)

05/15/25 vs Weston	3
05/12/25 @ New Milford	2
05/14/25 vs Notre Dame Prep	1
05/13/25 @ Joel Barlow	1
05/13/25 @ Joel Barlow	1

Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Alex Augustine, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kyle Parker, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one double.

Meanwhile, Bethel narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Stratford 2-1. The Wildcats haven't had any issues with the Red Devils recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive win against them.

Bethel's victory was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-2. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Pomperaug, their record is now 9-12.