The Maple River Eagles will face off against the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Maple River is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.
While Maple River's win against Minnesota Valley Lutheran wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Eagles' pitcher stepped up to hand the Chargers a 1-0 shutout on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Eagles have posted since March 27th.
Not much got past Caleb Thompson, who gave up just four hits to keep Minnesota Valley Lutheran off the board. Thompson has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
| 05/06/25 @ Minnesota Valley Lutheran | 2 |
| 05/05/25 vs Triton | 1 |
| 05/01/25 @ Waterville-Elysian-Morristown | 1 |
| 04/10/25 vs Minnesota Valley Lutheran | 1 |
At the plate, Maple River's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Wyatt Walters, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI. Those two hits gave Walters a new career-high.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Wednesday. They blew past Kenyon-Wanamingo 12-2 on Thursday. That ten run margin sets a new team best for the Panthers this season.
Owen Wayne made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. He has become a key player for New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 1-6 otherwise. Wayne was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva let A.J. Deen and Jace Ihrke run wild. Deen got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and two RBI, while Ihrke went 3-for-4 with five RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Deen also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Aidan Schlaak, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Maple River's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-5. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva, their victory bumped their record up to 3-7.
Everything went Maple River's way against New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, as Maple River made off with a 15-4 win. Do the Eagles have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
