The Fairbanks Panthers will challenge the Pleasant Spartans at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Fairbanks took a ten-run defeat the last time they faced off against Hardin Northern, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Panthers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 victory over the Polar Bears on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Panthers have posted since April 15th.
Fairbanks' victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Nolan Baker, who went 1-for-2 with one run.
Meanwhile, Pleasant came into Thursday's matchup having lost six straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They skirted past Marion Harding 4-3.
Johnathan Maran tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Pleasant is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 2-8 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Avery Hamper was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI.
The win made it two in a row for Fairbanks and bumps their season record up to 7-10. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 5 runs in those games. As for Pleasant, their win bumped their record up to 4-9.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
