Baseball Game Preview: Von Steuben Panthers vs. Taft Eagles

The Von Steuben Panthers will face off against the Taft Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with three defeats in a row, Von Steuben turned things around against Ogden International on Monday. They came out on top against Ogden International by a score of 7-4.

The team relied heavily on Kayin Timble, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. What's more, he posted two doubles, the most he's had since back in May of 2024. Matteo Banuelos was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-5.

Meanwhile, Taft beat Payton College Prep 8-5 on Tuesday.

Daniel Alvarez tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits over 5.1 innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Taft is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-8 otherwise.

On the hitting side, Wes Blitz was excellent, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and one double. Another player making a difference was Evan Jocic, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Taft's win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 7-8. As for Von Steuben, their victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 6-5-2.

Von Steuben came up short against Taft when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 12-9. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.