The Western Panthers will venture away from home to face off against the Frankfort Hot Dogs at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Western will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.
On Friday, Western made easy work of Taylor and carried off a 14-2 win. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Titans recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive victory against them.
Aj Helmberger
| 05/09/25 vs Taylor | 7 |
| 04/10/25 vs West Lafayette | 4 |
| 05/02/25 @ Anderson | 1 |
| 04/23/25 @ Logansport | 1 |
Aj Helmberger looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Gavin Denton was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. He continues to improve, besting his previous run total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Rodman, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Western always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Taylor only posted an OBP of .391.
Meanwhile, Frankfort didn't have quite enough to beat Tri-West Hendricks on Wednesday and fell 2-1. The game marked the Hot Dogs' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Alex Lopez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on five hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Frankfort saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Taran Emery, who went 2-for-3 with one run.
Western's record is now 16-3. As for Frankfort, their defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 10-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Western has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Frankfort struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Western beat Frankfort 10-6 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Hot Dogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
