Baseball Game Preview: Inland Lakes Bulldogs vs. Pickford Panthers

The Inland Lakes Bulldogs will take on the Pickford Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Inland Lakes has given up an average of 8 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Inland Lakes is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 12 runs on Thursday, they were much more limited against Forest Area on Tuesday. They lost 17-1 to the Warriors.

Meanwhile, Pickford is still undefeated this season after their contest against Harbor Springs on Wednesday, but Harbor Springs came as close as anyone has to beating them. The Panthers came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 5-4 W against the Rams. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Panthers have posted since May 2, 2024.

The team relied heavily on Gunner Bennin, who went 3-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Eli MacDonald was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI.

Pickford's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 3-0-1. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.7 runs over those games. As for Inland Lakes, their loss dropped their record down to 1-3.

Inland Lakes took their victory against Pickford in their previous matchup back in June of 2019 by a conclusive 8-2 score. Will the Bulldogs repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.