The Woodlawn Bears will square off against the Bigelow Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Woodlawn's pitching crew has only allowed 2.3 runs per game this season, so Bigelow's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
While Woodlawn's victory against DeWitt wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Bears narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Dragons 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bears have posted against the Dragons since April 1, 2019.
Ty Motes tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Peyton Wells was excellent, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 1-for-3. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in May of 2024. Cash Hargis was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Bigelow). They blew past Mt. Vernon-Enola 15-2 on Tuesday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Panthers with their most commanding win of the season.
Arturo Cabrera made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Cabrera was also big at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and one triple. That triple was his first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jake Berry, who scored a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Guy Starks, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Bigelow always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .595. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in four consecutive games.
Woodlawn is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-3 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.4 runs over those games. As for Bigelow, their victory bumped their record up to 3-4.
Bigelow's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Woodlawn hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .349. It's a different story for Bigelow, though, as they've only averaged .224. Will they be able to contain Woodlawn's hitters?
Woodlawn was able to grind out a solid win over Bigelow in their previous matchup back in May of 2022, winning 7-2. Do the Bears have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
