The Delta Eagles are taking a road trip to challenge the Eastbrook Panthers at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Delta's pitching crew has only allowed 3.3 runs per game this season, so Eastbrook's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Delta will bounce into Saturday's matchup after beating Greenfield-Central, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. The Eagles walked away with a 7-4 victory over the Cougars on Thursday.
Zane Cline was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over 4.2 innings pitched. Cline was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season.
Maddox Huffman
In other pitching news, Maddox Huffman looked comfortable as he tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Delta is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 0-3 otherwise.
Cline wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Chase Ritchie, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double. That's the most RBI Ritchie has posted since back in May of 2024. Another was Campbell Light, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
Eastbrook came out on top against Northfield on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive ten-run sixth inning. The Panthers never let the Norsemen get on the board and left with a 13-0 win. Considering the Panthers have won four games by more than eight runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Carter Daugherty made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 11 over six innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run and four RBI.
In other batting news, Eastbrook let Will Hodson and Reid Aupperle run wild. Hodson went 1-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs, while Aupperle got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyler Hackman, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Eastbrook kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Northfield only managed two hits.
Eastbrook now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Delta, their victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-4 and their overall record up to 2-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Delta has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Eastbrook struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
