Baseball Game Preview: Batesburg-Leesville Panthers vs. Aiken Fighting Green Hornets

For the second straight game, Batesburg-Leesville will face off against Aiken. The Panthers will welcome the Fighting Green Hornets at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Batesburg-Leesville has six straight victories, Aiken has six straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Batesburg-Leesville hadn't beaten Aiken on the road since March 8, 2022 but that history sure didn't bother them on Tuesday. The Panthers came out on top against the Fighting Green Hornets by a score of 4-1.

Tanner Watkins was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That home run was his first of the season.

In other pitching news, Tyler Kneece tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.

Back at the plate, Braydon Hallman was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run.

Batesburg-Leesville lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.

Batesburg-Leesville's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-4-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Aiken, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-14.