The Wiley Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Stratton Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Wiley scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Friday. They never let Manzanola onto the board and left with an 18-0 win. The victory was just what Wiley needed coming off of a 10-0 loss in their prior match.
Grant Mauch made a splash while hitting and pitching. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over four innings pitched. Mauch was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Wiley got a massive performance out of Rhett McDonald, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Evan Larrick was another key contributor, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with a home run, three runs, and two RBI.
Stratton never got on the board in their matchup on Friday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against McClave last Saturday. They put the hurt on the Cardinals with a sharp 12-1 win.
Like Wiley, Stratton also got a great game from a two-way player: Bex Seaman. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Seaman was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and a stolen base.
In other batting news, Stratton let Dawson Thompson and Charlie Tagtmeyer loose on the outfield. Thompson went 3-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, and a stolen base, while Tagtmeyer scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Brody Webb, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Wiley's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-6. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs per game. As for Stratton, they now have a winning record of 7-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Wiley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Stratton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.5. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Wiley came up short against Stratton in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, falling 6-2. Thankfully for Wiley, Cooper Seaman (who struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
