While O'Connor's victory against Stevens wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Panthers won by a run and slipped past the Falcons 6-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Panthers have posted against the Falcons since April 22, 2023.
Ryan Zaiontz looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has become a key player for O'Connor: the team is 5-1-2 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 4-13-1 otherwise.

Rudy Perez
| 04/17/26 vs Stevens | 2 |
| 04/07/26 vs Holmes | 2 |
| 03/12/26 vs Harlan | 2 |
| 03/10/26 @ Harlan | 2 |
| 02/26/26 @ Davenport | 2 |
| + 9 more games |
On the hitting side, Rudy Perez was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. O'Connor is 3-1-1 when Perez posts two or more runs, but 6-13-2 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Gabe Chavana, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles, one stolen base, and two RBI.
The victory made it two in a row for O'Connor and bumps their season record up to 9-14-3. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 6 runs in those games. As for Stevens, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 13-13-1.
We've got plenty of inter-district action coming up soon. O'Connor will face off against rival Taft at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Stevens is set to square off against their familiar foe Marshall at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps