The Patrick Henry Patriots will face off against the Van Buren Black Knights at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Patrick Henry is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They never let Ayersville get on the board and left with a 5-0 victory. The Patriots haven't had any issues with the Pilots recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Aden Biederstedt
| 05/27/26 vs Ayersville | 1 |
| 05/16/26 @ Napoleon | 1 |
| 05/12/26 vs Liberty-Benton | 1 |
| 05/07/26 vs Elmwood | 1 |
| 04/30/26 vs Delta | 1 |
| 04/17/26 @ Wauseon | 2 |
Not much got past Aden Biederstedt, who gave up just four hits to keep Ayersville off the board. Biederstedt has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Patrick Henry let Mason Jardine and Lane Biederstedt run wild. Jardine went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double, while Biederstedt went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases Jardine has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Grant Schwab, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one run.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Van Buren ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged out Elmwood 6-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Black Knights have posted since April 25th.
Brayden Gilts spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and four unearned) runs on three hits. Van Buren is undefeated when Gilts allows one or fewer earned runs, but 11-12 otherwise.
At the plate, Reid Cramer was excellent, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs. Brady Lance was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Van Buren's win bumped their record up to 17-12. As for Patrick Henry, their victory bumped their record up to 16-7-1.
Patrick Henry might still be hurting after the 13-3 defeat they got from Van Buren when the teams last played back in April of 2025. Can the Patriots avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
