Baseball Game Preview: Newfane Panthers vs. Albion Purple Eagles

The Newfane Panthers will head out on the road to take on the Albion Purple Eagles at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Newfane is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 12 runs on Wednesday, they were much more limited against Medina on Friday. They came up short against the Mustangs, falling 9-0. The Panthers haven't had much luck with the Mustangs recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.

Meanwhile, Albion waltzed into their contest on Friday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They were the clear victors by a 15-5 margin over the Lakemen. Considering the Purple Eagles have won three matchups by more than nine runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Drew Pritchard spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and two unearned) runs on five hits and racked up seven Ks.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Gavin Boyce, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Albion's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 3-4 when he doesn't). Andrew Boyce was another key player, going 4-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Albion kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April of 2024.

The win got Albion back to even at 5-5. As for Newfane, their loss dropped their record down to 2-5.

Newfane might still be hurting after the 13-1 defeat they got from Albion when the teams last played on Saturday. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.