Ogden International will venture away from home to challenge the Von Steuben Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Ogden International will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Ogden International is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Amundsen on Wednesday as they made off with a 17-5 win. The game snapped a strange streak: the last four times these teams have met, it?s been the away team that?s taken home the W.
Ogden International let Aj Ramirez and Julian Castillo run wild. Ramirez scored three runs while going 4-for-4, while Castillo went 2-for-5 with one home run and six RBI. Ramirez also put up two doubles, which were his first of the season. Julio Pagan was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Ogden International always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .707. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Von Steuben fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Lane Tech on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Champions by a score of 7-6. The Panthers have struggled against the Champions recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost meeting.
Christian Kobayashi was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Von Steuben: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 2-3-2 otherwise. Another player making a difference was George Allen, who scored a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Ogden International's victory was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-2. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.8 runs over those games. As for Von Steuben, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-4-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ogden International has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Von Steuben struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Ogden International came out on top in a nail-biter against Von Steuben when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Ogden International since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
