Baseball Game Preview: Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers vs. St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans

Paxton-Buckley-Loda hasn't had much luck against St. Joseph-Ogden recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Panthers will host the Spartans at 4:30 p.m. Paxton-Buckley-Loda is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.

Paxton-Buckley-Loda is headed into the contest having just suffered their biggest defeat since March 25th on Monday. They came up short against Tolono Unity, falling 9-2.

Tyler Cole

Stolen Base

04/14/25 @ Tolono Unity	1
04/12/25 vs Salt Fork	1
04/10/25 @ Hoopeston	2
04/08/25 @ Watseka	1
04/03/25 @ Bloomington Central Catholic	2
+ 4 more games

Paxton-Buckley-Loda saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tyler Cole, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Cole is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last nine games he's played.

Meanwhile, St. Joseph-Ogden came tearing into Wednesday's match with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.2 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over the Redskins. Considering the Spartans have won nine games by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

St. Joseph-Ogden's win was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-2. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Paxton-Buckley-Loda, their loss dropped their record down to 8-5.

Paxton-Buckley-Loda might still be hurting after the 14-4 defeat they got from St. Joseph-Ogden when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will the Panthers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.