The Pandora-Gilboa Rockets are taking a road trip to face off against the Fort Jennings Musketeers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Pandora-Gilboa headed into their last match having not scored more than two runs for five straight, but Vanlue let them put that streak behind them. The Rockets put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 10-3 victory on Wednesday. The win continues a trend for the Rockets in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now won nine in a row.
Nolan Leatherman
| 04/30/25 vs Vanlue | 15 |
| 04/23/25 @ Arcadia | 8 |
| 04/17/25 @ Ottoville | 8 |
| 04/09/25 @ Arlington | 8 |
| 04/20/24 vs Fairview | 3 |
Nolan Leatherman was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 15 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off two hits. Those 15 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with four stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
In other batting news, G Kempf was excellent, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and one RBI. Tanner Bott also deserves some recognition as he scored his first runs of the season.
Meanwhile, Fort Jennings made easy work of Jefferson on Wednesday and carried off a 10-4 victory. The Musketeers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by six runs or more this season.
The team relied heavily on Owen Calvelage, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Fort Jennings' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 6-1 (and 3-4 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Calvin Menke, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases and two runs.
The win made it two in a row for Fort Jennings and bumps their season record up to 9-5. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Pandora-Gilboa, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-15.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Pandora-Gilboa has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Fort Jennings struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Pandora-Gilboa came out on top in a nail-biter against Fort Jennings in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rockets since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
