The Piper Bengals will take on the Pine Crest Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with five defeats in a row, Piper turned things around against Hialeah Gardens on Monday. They were the clear victors by an 18-1 margin over the Gladiators. The Bengals' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Ladanain Mckenzie
| 03/02/26 vs Hialeah Gardens | 1 |
| 02/23/26 vs Fort Lauderdale | 1 |
| 02/10/26 vs Miami Christian | 1 |
Ladanain Mckenzie made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Mckenzie was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, seven RBI, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Piper's success: when he posts at least one home run the team is 2-1 (and 0-4 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Piper got a massive performance out of Austin Engle, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four runs. That's the most runs Engle has posted since back in February of 2025. The team also got some help courtesy of Tommy Velez, who went 2-for-3 with three runs and one RBI.
Piper always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .625. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Pine Crest came out on top against South Broward on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run fourth inning. The Panthers walked away with a 6-1 win over the Bulldogs.
Max McCawley spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, Paul Baker was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Those RBI were his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Michael Marber, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases.
The victory got Pine Crest back to even at 3-3. As for Piper, their win bumped their record up to 2-5.
Piper couldn't quite finish off Pine Crest when the teams last played back in February of 2025 and fell 5-3. Can the Bengals avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
