Maxwell and Redding Christian are an even 4-4 against one another since March of 2017, but likely not for long. The Panthers will face off against the Lions on Saturday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Maxwell sitting on seven straight victories and Redding Christian on four.
Maxwell is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Weed with a sharp 12-2 win. Considering the Panthers have won 12 matchups by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Luka Benedet
| 05/19/26 vs Weed | 3 |
| 05/05/26 @ Hamilton | 2 |
| 04/24/26 vs Biggs | 2 |
| 04/03/26 @ Portola | 2 |
| 03/16/26 vs Pierce | 2 |
Luka Benedet was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and two doubles. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Wyatt Roach, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and two RBI.
Maxwell hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Redding Christian hadn't done well against Loyalton recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Lions came out on top against the Grizzlies by a score of 5-2.
Garrett Webb and Brodie Ogden made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Webb pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Meanwhile, Ogden didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over four innings pitched. He is becoming a predictor of Redding Christian's success: when he allows at most one hit the team is undefeated (and 9-10 when he doesn't). At the plate, Webb went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Ogden went 3-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Caleb Zick, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and two runs. Redding Christian is undefeated when Zick posts two or more runs, but 9-10 otherwise.
Redding Christian's victory bumped their record up to 12-10. As for Maxwell, their win bumped their record up to 21-7.
Maxwell skirted past Redding Christian 6-5 in their previous matchup back in March. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Lions have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
