Baseball Game Preview: De Soto Pirates vs. Kickapoo Panthers

De Soto is 9-1 against Kickapoo since May of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Pirates will challenge the Panthers at 5:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (De Soto has seven straight wins, Kickapoo has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

De Soto gave up the first runs on Tuesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They put the hurt on Royall with a sharp 11-1 victory. Considering the Pirates have won six matchups by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

Finn Wrobel spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.

Jack Buckles

Runs (Career)

04/28/26 @ Royall	3
04/20/26 @ La Farge	2
04/24/26 @ Brookwood	1
04/09/26 @ Weston	1

At the plate, Jack Buckles was a standout: he went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Griffin Hanson, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one double.

Meanwhile, Monday just wasn't the day for Kickapoo's offense. They took a 5-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of Ithaca on Monday. The game marked the first time this year in which the Panthers were not able to get on the board.

Kickapoo's loss dropped their record down to 2-6. As for De Soto, their win bumped their record up to 9-2.

Everything went De Soto's way against Kickapoo in their previous matchup last Tuesday, as De Soto made off with a 14-2 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pirates since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.