The Masuk Panthers will head out to square off against the Woodstock Academy Centaurs at 3:30 p.m. on Monday.
Masuk's last matchup with Bethel could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's contest on Tuesday. The Panthers lost 10-2 to the Wildcats. The Panthers haven't had much luck with the Wildcats recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.
Chris Welch was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Woodstock Academy had already won ten in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.1 runs) and they went ahead and made it 11 on Friday. They blew past the Vikings 11-1. Surprisingly, this marked the Centaurs' third straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.
Hayden Maloney was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run over six innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with two runs and one double. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Brady Ericson was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Caleb Simoneau, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Woodstock Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .513. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Woodstock Academy pushed their record up to 18-8 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Masuk, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Masuk has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Woodstock Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
