The Central Minnesota Christian Bluejays are taking a road trip to challenge the Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Central Minnesota Christian is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Canby on Tuesday, sneaking past 8-6. The win continues a trend for the Bluejays in their matchups with the Lancers: they've now won three in a row.
Wesley Fussy
| 04/29/25 vs Canby | 9 |
| 04/22/25 vs Ortonville | 5 |
| 04/14/25 vs Minneota | 6 |
| 04/10/25 vs Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg | 9 |
Wesley Fussy made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over 6.2 innings while giving up four earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three runs and one stolen base. That stolen base marked the first that he has snagged this season.
In other batting news, Teddy Bonnema was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those stolen bases were his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Jake Ver Steeg, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Central Minnesota Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .393. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton hadn't done well against Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Panthers put the hurt on the Fighting Saints with a sharp 12-6 victory. The game marked the Panthers' most dominant win of the season.
Trevor Smith was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. Smith was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with four runs, two stolen bases, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Tracy-Milroy-Balaton: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 3-5 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Noah Knakmuhs, who went 4-for-5 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of David Schuh, who went 1-for-5 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one double.
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton now has a winning record of 6-5. As for Central Minnesota Christian, their victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-4 and their overall record up to 2-4.
Central Minnesota Christian came up short against Tracy-Milroy-Balaton in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, falling 4-0. Can the Bluejays avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
