Baseball Game Preview: Etna Lions vs. Maxwell Panthers

Etna has gone a perfect 3-0 against Maxwell recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. A feisty cat fight will be fought as Etna Lions duke it out with Maxwell Panthers at 2:00 p.m. Etna is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.

Last Tuesday, Etna got the win against Central Valley by a conclusive 9-3. The Lions have beaten the Falcons the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Falcons has come to flipping the script.

Clayton Harris

Runs

03/25/25 @ Central Valley	2
03/08/25 vs West Valley	2
03/07/25 vs Oroville	2
03/21/25 vs St. Bernard's	1
03/20/25 vs Del Norte	1

Clayton Harris and Emmett Stacher did most of the damage at the plate: Harris went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Stacher scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. Harris is becoming a predictor of Etna's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-3 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Mason Padgett, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-1.

They weren't the only ones working in the hit department: Etna kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in May of 2024.

Meanwhile, Maxwell put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Upper Lake 10-3. Considering the Panthers have won four matches by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

Maxwell's victory was truly a team effort as seven different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Massey Baker, who went 3-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and one triple. That's the most runs Baker has posted since back in April of 2024. Another was Landon Barrett, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.

Maxwell's record is now 6-0. As for Etna, they now have a winning record of 4-3.

Etna came out on top in a nail-biter against Maxwell in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, sneaking past 4-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Etna since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.