Superior hasn't had much luck against Bagdad recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Superior Panthers will be playing at home against the Bagdad Sultans at 3:45 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bagdad will be up against a hot Superior squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. Superior blew past Miami 11-1 on Tuesday. With that win, the Panthers brought their scoring average up to 6.6 runs per game.
Ryland Duarte
| 03/18/25 vs Miami | 2 |
| 03/10/25 @ Duncan | 1 |
| 02/29/24 vs Miami | 1 |
| 02/22/24 @ Ray | 1 |
Ryland Duarte was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing Two bases. while going 3-for-4. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Christian Hollenbeck, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Bagdad put their dominant pitchers on display in the team's third consecutive shutout on Wednesday. They never let Valley Lutheran get on the board and left with a 13-0 victory. The Sultans haven't had any issues with the Flames recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Rowdy Hooper made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Hooper was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. That triple marked the first that he hit this season.
In other batting news, Bagdad let Destry Owings and Dj Gramanz run wild. Owings scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-2, while Gramanz scored two runs and stole Three bases. while going 2-for-2. Owings is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged two or more in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Langston, who scored three runs while going 1-for-2.
Bagdad was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .381. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .381 or higher in three consecutive games.
Bagdad pushed their record up to 7-1 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.5 runs on average over those games. As for Superior, their win bumped their record up to 5-2.
Friday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Superior has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .447. However, it's not like Bagdad struggles in that department as they've averaged .536. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Superior suffered a grim 12-0 defeat to Bagdad when the teams last played back in May of 2021. Will Superior have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
