Panthers
| 05/09/25 @ Argos | 14 |
| 05/08/25 vs Argos | 13 |
| 05/06/25 @ Carroll | 4 |
| 05/03/25 @ North Judson-San Pierre | 9 |
| 05/03/25 vs North Judson-San Pierre | 1 |
| + 12 more games |
Pioneer is 9-1 against West Central since April of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Saturday. The Panthers will look to defend their home field against the Trojans at 9:00 a.m. Pioneer is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.5 runs per game this season.
Pioneer's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. Everything went their way against Argos as they made off with a 14-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Dragons: they've now won three in a row.
Juan Solano was a standout: he got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in hits (two). Jason Gluth was another key player, going 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one run.
Pioneer was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .433. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, West Central sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 victory over North White on Thursday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Trojans.
Teagan Holle spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on three hits and racked up 11 Ks. West Central is undefeated when Holle posts eight or more strikeouts, but 5-9 otherwise.
At the plate, Addison Huber was excellent, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Maddox Gutwein, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one double.
West Central's win bumped their record up to 8-9. As for Pioneer, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 8-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Pioneer has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like West Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Pioneer's way against West Central when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Pioneer made off with a 14-4 win. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Trojans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
