The Jordan-Elbridge Eagles are taking a road trip to challenge the Port Byron Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Jordan-Elbridge will bounce into Thursday's matchup after beating Pulaski, who they had gone 0-8 against in their eight prior meetings. The Eagles put the hurt on the Blue Devils with a sharp 13-3 win on Monday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Eagles.
Shannon III Ahern and Nolan Brunelle made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Ahern struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Brunelle pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. At bat, Ahern scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances, while Brunelle scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on David III Dominick, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Hunter Bigness was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Port Byron never let their opponents score on Saturday. They blew past Brookfield Central 11-0.
Like Jordan-Elbridge, Port Byron also got a great game from a two-way player: Connor Usowski. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over four innings pitched. Usowski has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Jacob Fronce looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season.
Back at the plate, Sawyer Rooker was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Nathan Usowski, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
Port Byron now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Jordan-Elbridge, their record now sits at 2-0.
Jordan-Elbridge couldn't quite get it done against Port Byron when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 3-0. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
