The Early Panthers will face off against the Buffalo Bison at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Early is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
Early took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They were the clear victors by an 18-2 margin over Chadwick. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Panthers as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Ethan Cutler
| 05/04/26 vs Chadwick | 2 |
| 04/20/26 vs Conway | 1 |
| 03/30/26 vs Miller | 1 |
| 03/23/26 @ Billings | 1 |
Ethan Cutler made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Early is 4-2 when he allows at most one walk, but 7-8 otherwise. Cutler was also big at the plate, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two RBI. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Cash Graves and Carter Gregory did most of the damage at the plate: Graves got on base in two of his three plate appearances with four stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI, while Gregory got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs Gregory has posted since back in April. Michael Doyle was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Early always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .692. They are 4-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Buffalo sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 victory over Osage on Thursday.
Early now has a winning record of 11-10. As for Buffalo, their win bumped their record up to 3-23.
Early skirted past Buffalo 3-2 in their previous meeting back in April of 2022. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Bison have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
