Baseball Game Preview: Watervliet Panthers vs. Sparta Spartans

The Watervliet Panthers will venture away from home to take on the Sparta Spartans at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Watervliet's pitching crew has only allowed 3.5 runs per game this season, so Sparta's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Watervliet barely beat Dowagiac the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Panthers were the clear victors by a 14-6 margin over the Chieftains on Thursday. The victory continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Chieftains: they've now won five in a row.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Sparta, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They never let Cedar Springs get on the board and left with a 5-0 win on Wednesday.

Tyler Pangborn made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three RBI and one triple. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, Jericho Ross was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with four stolen bases and one run. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaxon VanHoutum, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.

Watervliet's record now sits at 15-6-1. As for Sparta, their record is now 9-13.

Watervliet was able to grind out a solid victory over Sparta in their previous matchup back in May of 2016, winning 10-5. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Spartans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.