The Saegertown Panthers will square off against the Cochranton Cardinals at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Saegertown's favor as the team sits on 14 straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Cochranton has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
Saegertown's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They came out on top against Lakeview by a score of 5-0.
William Shaffer was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over six innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, earning one RBI, one run, and two stolen bases.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Blake Leslie, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Meanwhile, Cochranton got the win against Cambridge Springs on Wednesday by a conclusive 9-0.
Like Saegertown, Cochranton also got a great game from a two-way player: Walker Carroll. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 17 over seven innings pitched. Carroll also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Cochranton is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 1-6 otherwise. Carroll was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs.
In other batting news, Bradyen Burnette was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, five RBI, and two runs. Cochranton is 3-1 when Burnette posts two or more runs, but 1-5 otherwise. Ben Field was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Cochranton is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.4 runs on average over those games. As for Saegertown, their victory bumped their record up to 8-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Saegertown has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 6.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Cochranton struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Saegertown's way against Cochranton in their previous matchup on April 1st, as Saegertown made off with a 10-0 win. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Cardinals have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
