Preview: West Panthers vs. Northridge Knights
The West Panthers will head out on the road to square off against the Northridge Knights at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
On Wednesday, West fell victim to a rough 11-1 loss at the hands of Provo. West has not had much luck with Provo recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.
West saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Devin Archuleta, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Northridge narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Hunter 3-2. The win was just what Northridge needed coming off of a 17-9 defeat in their prior contest.
Jon Olsen was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Olsen was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with a triple and a run.
In other pitching news, Ryal Moon looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also only allowed one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single walk in four consecutive pitching appearances.
West now has a losing record at 1-2. As for Northridge, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. West has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Northridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
West came up short against Northridge when the teams last played back in March of 2023, falling 6-3. Can West avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
