The St. Mary's Pirates will square off against the Peyton Panthers at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. St. Mary's is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.7 runs per game this season.
St. Mary's took a seven-run defeat the last time they faced off against Woodland Park, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Pirates skirted past the Panthers 9-8. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Pirates as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Ron Karin made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Karin was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. He has become a key player for St. Mary's: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 1-7 otherwise.
Ryan Strub
| 04/26/25 vs Woodland Park | 3 |
| 04/24/25 vs Kent Denver | 3 |
| 04/08/25 @ Hinkley | 3 |
| 04/19/25 vs Ellicott | 2 |
| 04/16/25 @ Calhan | 2 |
| + 9 more games |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ryan Strub, who went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, four RBI, and one run. He is becoming a predictor of St. Mary's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 6-1 (and 4-6 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Isaac Velazquez, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run and one double.
St. Mary's kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are 7-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Peyton entered their tilt with La Veta on Wednesday with five consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with six. They came out on top against the Redhawks by a score of 12-7. 12 seems to be a good number for the Panthers as the team scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Noah Martin and Bryce Compton made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Martin pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Compton tossed 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. At bat, Martin went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs, while Compton got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Colton Cobb was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Zayden Ebbert, who went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI.
Peyton pushed their record up to 13-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.7 runs over those games. As for St. Mary's, their victory bumped their record up to 10-7.
Both St. Mary's and Peyton just can't seem to miss. The Pirates have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.6 hits per game. However, it's not like Peyton struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.3 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went St. Mary's way against Peyton in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as St. Mary's made off with a 9-3 win. Will the Pirates repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
