Baseball Game Preview: Defiance Bulldogs vs. Paulding Panthers

The Defiance Bulldogs will be defending their home field for the first time this season when they go up against the Paulding Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Defiance is coming home in high spirits after they had to open their season on the road against Liberty-Benton. The Bulldogs walked away with an 8-4 win over the Eagles on Thursday.

Brezlen Zipfel spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on five hits and racked up eight Ks.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Cody Shaw, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Gomez, who scored a run while going 2-for-5.

Meanwhile, Paulding was able to grind out a solid victory over Ottoville on Monday, taking the game 4-1. The win continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Big Green: they've now won three in a row.

Defiance beat Paulding 5-0 in their previous matchup back in April of 2022. Do the Bulldogs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.