The Knightstown Panthers will square off against the Waldron Mohawks at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Knightstown's pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so Waldron's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Knightstown is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Wapahani just ended the team's nine-game winning streak on Friday. They lost 14-4 to the Raiders. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Panthers have suffered since May 8th.
Meanwhile, Waldron had already won two in a row and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 14-1 margin over the Lancers. The Mohawks not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since April 15th (when they won 21-2).
Charlie Fischer made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 13 over five innings pitched. Waldron is 2-1 when Fischer allows one or fewer hits, but 6-11 otherwise. Fischer was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Jackson Kuhn and Troy Atwood did most of the damage at the plate: Kuhn went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI, while Atwood got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Atwood is becoming a predictor of Waldron's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 4-1 (and 4-11 when he doesn't). J.D. Smith was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Waldron always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .564. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Waldron's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-12. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Knightstown, their loss dropped their record down to 20-4.
Knightstown took their victory against Waldron in their previous matchup back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 27-1 score. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Mohawks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
