The Peyton Panthers are taking a road trip to challenge the St. Mary's Pirates at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Peyton will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak.
Peyton can't be too worried about heading out to take on St. Mary's: they just beat La Veta at home, who had been dominant on their own field up to that point. The Panthers came out on top against the Redhawks by a score of 12-7 on Wednesday. 12 seems to be a good number for the Panthers as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Noah Martin and Bryce Compton were major factors while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Martin tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Compton pitched 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Martin has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. At bat, Martin went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs, while Compton got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base. That's the most runs Compton has posted since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, Colton Cobb was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in May of 2024. Brennan Christiansen also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Peyton hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in three consecutive games.
St. Mary's came out on top against Woodland Park on Saturday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run fourth inning. The Pirates won by a run and slipped past the Panthers 9-8. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Pirates have posted since March 20th.
Ron Karin made a splash no matter where he played. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Karin was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. St. Mary's is undefeated when Karin posts two or more runs, but 1-7 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ryan Strub, who went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, four RBI, and one run. He has become a key player for St. Mary's: the team is 6-1 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 4-6 otherwise. Isaac Velazquez was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run and one double.
Peyton pushed their record up to 13-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.7 runs over those games. As for St. Mary's, with the victory, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 10-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Peyton has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like St. Mary's struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Peyton suffered a grim 9-3 defeat to St. Mary's in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
