The Cochranton Cardinals will head out on the road to take on the Saegertown Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Cochranton comes in on three and Saegertown on eight.
Cochranton's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Cambridge Springs with a sharp 9-0 victory.
Walker Carroll
| 04/23/25 vs Cambridge Springs | 17 |
| 04/09/25 vs Jamestown | 17 |
| 04/17/25 vs Maplewood | 14 |
| 03/24/25 @ Franklin | 9 |
Walker Carroll made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 17 over seven innings pitched. He is becoming a predictor of Cochranton's success: when he posts at least eight strikeouts the team is 3-1 (and 1-5 when he doesn't). Carroll was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bradyen Burnette, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, five RBI, and two runs. Cochranton is 3-1 when Burnette posts two or more runs, but 1-5 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Ben Field, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Saegertown was able to grind out a solid win over Lakeview on Wednesday, taking the game 5-0.
Like Cochranton, Saegertown also got a great game from a two-way player: William Shaffer. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over six innings pitched. Shaffer has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, earning one RBI, one run, and two stolen bases.
In other batting news, Blake Leslie was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Saegertown's victory was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-1. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 8.8 runs. As for Cochranton, their record now sits at 4-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Cochranton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Saegertown struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Cochranton suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Saegertown in their previous matchup on April 1st. Can the Cardinals avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
