The Bristol Panthers will venture away from home to face off against the Beachwood Bison at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Bristol is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Bristol will bounce into Saturday's contest after beating Grand Valley, who they had gone 0-3 against in their three prior meetings. The Panthers walked away with a 7-3 victory over the Mustangs on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.
Kaiden Kohler spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on five hits and racked up 12 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
Croc Thorp
| 05/09/25 vs Grand Valley | 3 |
| 04/24/25 @ Harding | 2 |
| 04/23/25 @ Maplewood | 2 |
| 04/09/25 vs Lordstown | 2 |
| 04/03/25 vs Conneaut | 2 |
| + 6 more games |
At the plate, Bristol got a massive performance out of Croc Thorp, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one double, and one RBI. The Panthers are 4-1 when Thorp posts two or more runs, but 5-6 otherwise. Diesel Williams also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Bristol was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .379. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .323 or higher in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Beachwood came up short against Kenston on Friday, falling 14-7.
Jaycob Zabell stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: he went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Josh Rosenblitt, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Bristol's record is now 9-7. As for Beachwood, they have been struggling recently as they've lost 11 of their last 13 games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-13 record this season.
Bristol couldn't quite finish off Beachwood when the teams last played back in May of 2024 and fell 5-3. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
