Baseball Game Preview: Westwood Panthers vs. Centennial Eagles

Westwood hasn't had much luck against Centennial recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Westwood Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Centennial Eagles at 3:30 p.m.

Westwood fell victim to Bayside and their airtight pitching crew on Friday. They came up short against the Bears, falling 10-0. The matchup marked the first time this season in which the Panthers were not able to get on the board.

Centennial never got on the board in their matchup on Wednesday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Tradition Prep last Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 13-1 margin over the Pirates. The contest marked the Eagles' most dominant victory of the season so far.

Centennial got a great performance from Brayden Scheumeister as he didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Scheumeister has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single earned run any time he's pitched this season.

At the plate, Peyton Salerno was a standout: he scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season. Yariel Rodriguez was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.

Centennial always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .611. The last time their OBP was this high was since the start of last season.

Centennial now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Westwood, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 1-5.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Westwood has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Centennial struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Westwood might still be hurting after the 19-1 loss they got from Centennial when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Can Westwood avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.