Batesburg-Leesville has won seven straight games at home, while Barnwell has won seven straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Monday. The Panthers will host the Warhorses at 5:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Batesburg-Leesville 2.5, Barnwell 2.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Fans were treated to a battle of the Panthers on Friday. Batesburg-Leesville put the hurt on Pelion with a sharp 14-1 win. Batesburg-Leesville might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by seven runs or more this season.
The team relied heavily on Preston Smith, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, one run, and one double. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Tanner Watkins, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
Batesburg-Leesville hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pelion struck out eight times.
Meanwhile, Barnwell owes their pitching crew a big pat on the back after their performance on Wednesday. They came out on top against Bamberg-Ehrhardt by a score of 3-0. The victory continues a trend for the Warhorses in their matchups with the Red Raiders: they've now won five in a row.
The result came thanks to Trey Boleman's shutout, as he gave up just two hits.
On the hitting side, Case Davis was excellent, scoring a run and stealing three bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played. Hayden Pierce was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-2.
Batesburg-Leesville has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-3-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for Barnwell, their victory bumped their record up to 14-3.
Everything went Batesburg-Leesville's way against Barnwell when the teams last played back in March of 2023, as Batesburg-Leesville made off with a 14-4 win. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Warhorses turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
