The Pioneer Panthers will head out on the road to take on the Culver Academies Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Pioneer will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
On Wednesday, Pioneer made easy work of North Judson-San Pierre and carried off a 13-2 victory. That looming 13-2 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Pioneer yet this season.
Brayden Erickson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only two hits while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. Erickson has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. Erickson was also big at the plate, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with a home run.
In other batting news, Eli Guffey was excellent, scoring two runs while going 3-for-5. Another player making a difference was Brandon Sterrett, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Culver Academies can now show off seven landslide victories after their most recent contest on Wednesday. They blew past Tippecanoe Valley 10-4. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for Culver Academies considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Like Pioneer, Culver Academies also got a great game from a two-way player: Preston Jessen. He tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Jessen was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jack Christiansen, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Max Grundberg was another key contributor, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.
The win got Pioneer back to even at 10-10. As for Culver Academies, their record now sits at 15-5.
Pioneer suffered a grim 20-2 defeat to Culver Academies when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Can Pioneer avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
