The Peyton Panthers will head out on the road to square off against the La Veta Redhawks at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
It was a proper cat-fight when Peyton duked it out with Colorado Springs Christian on Thursday. The Panthers were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Lions. Winning may never get old, but the Panthers sure are getting used to it with their fifth in a row.
Zayden Ebbert was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Colton Cobb also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Peyton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .643. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Colorado Springs Christian only posted an OBP of .435.
Meanwhile, La Veta got themselves on the board against Centennial on Tuesday, but Centennial never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Rams with a sharp 22-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Redhawks in their matchups with the Rams: they've now won five in a row.
Matthew Gonzales was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last seven times he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Logan Cortez, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Lukas Ozzello, who went 2-for-3 with four runs, one triple, and two RBI.
Peyton's victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for La Veta, their record is now 10-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Peyton has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like La Veta struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
