The Elmwood Royals will head out to square off against the Pandora-Gilboa Rockets at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Elmwood has three straight victories, Pandora-Gilboa has ten straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Thursday, Elmwood was able to grind out a solid win over Arcadia, taking the game 7-3.
Zackery Gross
| 04/17/25 vs Arcadia | 1 |
| 04/16/25 @ Lima Central Catholic | 1 |
| 04/14/25 vs Ada | 3 |
Elmwood got a big performance out of Zackery Gross, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. Gross has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Colton Bradford also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Elmwood hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Pandora-Gilboa lost 13-5 to Ottoville on Thursday.
G Kempf made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Gavin Lee, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Elmwood pushed their record up to 7-1 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Pandora-Gilboa, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-9.
Pandora-Gilboa's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Elmwood hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .379. It's a different story for Pandora-Gilboa, though, as they've only averaged .136. Will they be able to contain Elmwood's hitters?
Elmwood took their victory against Pandora-Gilboa in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Royals since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
