The Woodland Park Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Elizabeth Cardinals at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Woodland Park 3.5, Elizabeth 3.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
It was a proper cat-fight when Woodland Park duked it out with Colorado Springs Christian on Thursday. The Panthers fell just short of the Lions by a score of 3-2. Having soared to a lofty 16 runs in the game before, the Panthers couldn't push the score so high this time.
Woodland Park saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gavin Strouse, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI. Gabe Marquez was another, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth came tearing into Friday's match with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.1 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Stallions get on the board and left with a 25-0 victory. The Cardinals' pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last three games.
Jeremy Waymire was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cohen Steinke, who fired off two home runs, seven RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-3. Those seven RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Owen Moons, who went 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.
Elizabeth always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .552. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .514 or higher in five consecutive contests.
Elizabeth pushed their record up to 14-3 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.3 runs over those games. As for Woodland Park, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-3.
Saturday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Woodland Park hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .332. However, it's not like Elizabeth struggles in that department as they've averaged .411. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Woodland Park suffered a grim 16-1 defeat to Elizabeth in their previous matchup back in May of 2019. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
