The Albany Warriors are taking a road trip to face off against the Pattonsburg Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Albany will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Albany had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 27-run drubbing they dealt North Nodaway on Friday. The Warriors put the hurt on the Mustangs with a sharp 27-0 victory. That 27 run margin sets a new team best for the Warriors this season.
Barrett Worrell
Barrett Worrell was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over four innings pitched. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Albany is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 2-4 otherwise. Worrell was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-5.
In other batting news, Daulton Worrell was incredible, going 3-for-4 with five runs, seven RBI, and two triples. Those two triples gave him a new career-high. Jarrett Smith was another key player, going 4-for-5 with four runs, one triple, and two RBI.
Albany kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.6 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 9.4.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Pattonsburg duked it out with Princeton on Monday. The Panthers walked away with a 6-3 win over the Tigers.
Like Albany, Pattonsburg also got a great game from a two-way player: Camden Griffith. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. Griffith has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
Griffith wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Landon Preston, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that Preston hit this season.
Albany pushed their record up to 6-4 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 15.0 runs over those games. As for Pattonsburg, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Albany has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pattonsburg struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Albany beat Pattonsburg 9-4 in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
