The Pine Island Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Lourdes Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Pine Island will be looking to extend their current nine-game winning streak.
Pine Island gave up the first runs on Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. They put the hurt on Randolph with a sharp 14-4 win. Considering the Panthers have won five matches by more than eight runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Nick Thein
| 04/25/25 @ Randolph | 4 |
| 04/04/25 vs Dover-Eyota | 2 |
| 05/25/24 vs Randolph | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Kasson-Mantorville | 1 |
| 04/12/25 vs St. Croix Prep | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Nick Thein, who went 3-for-5 with one home run, three stolen bases, and three runs. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (four). Luke Sems was another key player, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Pine Island kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Lourdes got the win against Lake City on Saturday by a conclusive 7-1.
Easton Gasner was a major factor no matter where he played. He tossed six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season.
In other batting news, Nicholas Bowron was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Lourdes: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 1-3 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Brayden Kottschade, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Pine Island's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Lourdes, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Lourdes' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Pine Island hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .354. It's a different story for Lourdes, though, as they've only averaged .187. Will they be able to contain Pine Island's hitters?
Pine Island skirted past Lourdes 3-2 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
