Baseball Game Preview: Von Steuben Panthers vs. Grayslake Central Rams

The Von Steuben Panthers will head out to face off against the Grayslake Central Rams at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Von Steuben took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They won by a run and slipped past Jones 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Panthers have posted since May 8, 2024.

Aiden Rodriguez

Batters Struck Out (Career)

04/24/25 vs Jones	5
03/18/25 vs Maine West	3
03/26/25 @ Morgan Park	2
03/22/25 @ Maine East	1

Aiden Rodriguez looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five).

At the plate, Von Steuben's win was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Kayin Timble, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Timble is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last five games he's played. Gianni Nino also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.

Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last contest, Grayslake Central made sure to put some runs up on the board against Woodstock on Friday. The Rams walked away with a 12-7 victory over the Blue Streaks. The win continues a trend for the Rams in their matchups with the Blue Streaks: they've now won nine in a row.

Von Steuben now has a winning record of 9-8-2. As for Grayslake Central, their victory bumped their record up to 14-4.

Von Steuben skirted past Grayslake Central 5-4 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Rams have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.