Middle Park is 1-8 against Bennett since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Tigers at 4:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Middle Park got their first taste of in-conference action on Monday and they started things off strong. They blew past Platte Canyon 14-6. The contest marked the Panthers' most dominant win of the season so far.
Noah Hunter
| 04/10/25 @ Alameda | 4 |
| 03/31/25 @ Englewood | 3 |
| 04/07/25 vs Clear Creek | 2 |
| 04/14/25 @ Platte Canyon | 1 |
| 03/08/25 @ The Classical Academy | 1 |
Noah Hunter looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Middle Park is 2-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 1-4 otherwise.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Diogui Laynes, who scored four runs and stole four bases while going 4-for-5. Those runs were his first of the season. William Trail was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-5.
Middle Park always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Bennett made easy work of Arvada on Monday and carried off a 14-4 victory. The Tigers haven't had any issues with the Bulldogs recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Evan Garner made a splash while hitting and pitching. He tossed three innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five). He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Rafael Ibarra was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Brody Hawes, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.
Middle Park's victory ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-5. As for Bennett, their record is now 6-7.
Middle Park suffered a grim 15-0 defeat to Bennett when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
