The St. Anselm's Abbey Panthers will challenge the Sandy Spring Friends Wildebeests at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. St. Anselm's Abbey is coming into the game on a four-game losing streak.
St. Anselm's Abbey couldn't beat DC International on Thursday even though they stacked seven runs on them in the first inning. The Panthers fell 12-9 to the Dragons. While the Panthers didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Dragons 7-0 in the first period.
Philip Libanati was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Sandy Spring Friends, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They came out on top against Berman Hebrew Academy by a score of 9-6 on Thursday.
Jack Fones was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He pitched three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. Sandy Spring Friends is undefeated when Fones posts two or more runs, but 2-3 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Darrion Sardo, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and three runs. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Charley Scace, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and two RBI.
Sandy Spring Friends pushed their record up to 7-3 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for St. Anselm's Abbey, they now have a losing record of 3-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. St. Anselm's Abbey has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Sandy Spring Friends struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
St. Anselm's Abbey might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from Sandy Spring Friends in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Panthers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
