Baseball Game Preview: Owatonna Huskies vs. Century Panthers

Owatonna is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Century is on a four-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Huskies will welcome the Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Owatonna's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Saturday. They put the hurt on St. Paul Central with a sharp 10-0 win. The Huskies might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four contests by six runs or more this season.

Meanwhile, Century hadn't done well against Mankato West recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Panthers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-7 victory over the Scarlets. The game was the first time the Panthers have beaten the Scarlets on their field since May 9, 2019.

Owen Kelly was excellent, going 3-for-4 with two runs and one triple. He is becoming a predictor of Century's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-5 when he doesn't). Brady Buchmann was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Century kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.

Century has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Owatonna, their victory bumped their record up to 10-2.

Owatonna was able to grind out a solid win over Century in their previous meeting back in April, winning 8-5. Will the Huskies repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.