The Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Panthers will challenge the Central Minnesota Christian Bluejays at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg on Thursday as they made off with a 12-6 win. The Panthers not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since May 22, 2024 (when they won 8-0).
Trevor Smith made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He 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. What's more, he posted three hits, the most he's had since back in April.
Noah Knakmuhs
| 05/01/25 @ Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg | 4 |
| 04/29/25 vs MACCRAY | 2 |
| 04/11/25 @ Murray County Central | 2 |
| 04/10/25 vs Lakeview | 2 |
| 05/16/24 vs Minneota/Lincoln H I | 2 |
In other batting news, Noah Knakmuhs was incredible, going 4-for-5 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was David Schuh, who went 1-for-5 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one double.
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 19 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 10.2.
Meanwhile, Central Minnesota Christian played in-conference for the first time on Tuesday and got just the result they were looking for. They had just enough and edged out Canby 8-6. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bluejays have posted since May 2, 2024.
Wesley Fussy was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over 6.2 innings while giving up four earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. Fussy 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, the team relied heavily on Teddy Bonnema, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those stolen bases marked the first that he has snagged this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jake Ver Steeg, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton now has a winning record of 6-5. As for Central Minnesota Christian, their win bumped their record up to 2-4.
Central Minnesota Christian's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Tracy-Milroy-Balaton hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .315. It's a different story for Central Minnesota Christian, though, as they've only averaged .210. Will they be able to contain Tracy-Milroy-Balaton's hitters?
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton was able to grind out a solid victory over Central Minnesota Christian in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, winning 4-0. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bluejays turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
