The Wayne Eagles will head out to face off against the Geneva Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Wayne's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Geneva's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Wayne proved they can win big on Tuesday (they won by eight) and on Wednesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They skirted past School of the Arts 4-2.
Cory Jones
| 04/23/25 vs School of the Arts | 1 |
| 04/15/25 @ High Point Christian Academy | 1 |
| 04/09/25 @ Waterloo | 2 |
Cory Jones made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 1-for-1 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Those RBI were his first of the season.
In other batting news, Michael Grasso was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI. William Murray also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Meanwhile, Geneva came up short against East on Wednesday, falling 12-2. The Panthers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Geneva saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ben Trout, who went 1-for-2 with one triple and one RBI.
Wayne pushed their record up to 5-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Geneva, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Wayne has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Geneva struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Wayne's way against Geneva in their previous meeting on Tuesday, as Wayne made off with an 8-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eagles since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
