The Woodlawn-B.R. Panthers will venture away from home to challenge the Port Allen Pelicans at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Woodlawn-B.R. has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Port Allen will arrive with six straight victories.
The home team had come away the winner the last five times Woodlawn-B.R. and Ascension Christian had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. Woodlawn-B.R. lost 13-2 to Ascension Christian on Wednesday.
Woodlawn-B.R. saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Michael Gray, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Port Allen made easy work of McKinley on Thursday and carried off a 12-1 win. The Pelicans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matchups by eight runs or more this season.
Garrett Cline was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. That triple marked the first that he hit this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on James Fontenot, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That triple was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Carson Chapman, who scored a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Port Allen always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .613. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .500 or higher in three consecutive games.
Port Allen's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-3. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 12.2 runs. As for Woodlawn-B.R., their loss dropped their record down to 3-11.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Woodlawn-B.R. has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Port Allen struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Woodlawn-B.R. was able to grind out a solid win over Port Allen in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, winning 4-1. Will Woodlawn-B.R. repeat their success, or does Port Allen have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
