Baseball Preview: Panther Valley Panthers vs. Jim Thorpe Olympians
Panther Valley and Jim Thorpe are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2015, but likely not for long. The Panther Valley Panthers will head out on the road to take on the Jim Thorpe Olympians at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Panther Valley is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.7 runs per game this season.
Panther Valley will head into Wednesday's game on the come-up: they were handed a seven-point defeat in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against Shenandoah Valley on Wednesday. Panther Valley had just enough and edged Shenandoah Valley out 9-7.
Andrew Kokinda was a standout: he scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Chase Weaver was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last match, Jim Thorpe made sure to put some runs up on the board against Williams Valley on Thursday. Jim Thorpe was the clear victor by a 10-3 margin over Williams Valley.
Nikolas Schwartz spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on two hits.
On the hitting side, Josh Louk and Brody Schrantz did most of the damage at the plate: Louk scored three runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-4, while Schrantz scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Cole Lazorick, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and an RBI.
Panther Valley's victory bumped their record up to 9-4. As for Jim Thorpe, their win ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-10.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Panther Valley has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Jim Thorpe struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Panther Valley's way against Jim Thorpe when the teams last played back in April of 2023 as Panther Valley made off with a 15-5 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Panther Valley since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
