Baseball Game Preview: Panther Valley Panthers vs. Pine Grove Cardinals

The Panther Valley Panthers will head out to challenge the Pine Grove Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. on Monday.

Panther Valley fell victim to Nativity BVM and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They took a 5-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Green Wave. The Panthers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Meanwhile, Pine Grove hadn't done well against Tri-Valley recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Cardinals walked away with a 9-4 win over the Bulldogs. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cardinals.

Brayden Lyons spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four earned runs on nine hits and racked up six Ks. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kale Lengle, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. What's more, he posted two hits, the most he's had since back in March. Another player making a difference was Ian Brown, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.

Pine Grove's record is now 8-9. As for Panther Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 4-11.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Panther Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pine Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Everything went Panther Valley's way against Pine Grove when the teams last played back in April, as Panther Valley made off with a 14-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.