The Pottsville Crimson Tide will square off against the Panther Valley Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Pottsville's hitters haven't had much luck over their past three matches, but Friday's contest will give them a chance to turn things around.
Pottsville fell victim to North Schuylkill and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 1-0 to the Spartans, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.
Pottsville saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Landon Trout, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, after low-scoring totals in their previous three game, Panther Valley brought some dynamite into their most recent matchup. They never let Notre Dame get on the board and left with a 10-0 win on Monday. The victory continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Spartans: they've now won six in a row.
Brody Breiner made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Logan Fisher, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Connor Penberth, who got on base in two of his three plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Panther Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Panther Valley's win bumped their record up to 5-13. As for Pottsville, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-13.
Everything went Pottsville's way against Panther Valley in their previous meeting back in April, as Pottsville made off with a 13-4 victory. Will the Crimson Tide repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
