Waterville hasn't had much luck against Erskine Academy recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Panthers will challenge the Eagles at 4:00 p.m. Erskine Academy took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Waterville, who comes in off a win.
Waterville came out on top against Winslow on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive nine-run third inning. The Panthers put the hurt on the Black Raiders with a sharp 14-4 victory. That looming 14-4 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Panthers yet this season.
Derek Couture
| 05/05/26 vs Winslow | 8 |
| 04/27/26 @ Mount View | 5 |
| 04/28/25 @ Leavitt | 5 |
| 04/09/26 @ Hall-Dale | 3 |
Derek Couture made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sean Walsh, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Wyatt Jones, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Erskine Academy came up short against Nokomis on Thursday and fell 4-1. The defeat continues a trend for the Eagles in their meetings with the Warriors: they've now lost four in a row.
Erskine Academy saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ben Severy, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
Waterville is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Erskine Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 2-4.
Waterville came out on top in a nail-biter against Erskine Academy when the teams last played back in May of 2023, sneaking past 6-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
