Panthers
| 04/28/25 vs Oak Hill | 8 |
| 04/25/25 vs Northwestern | 3 |
| 04/23/25 @ Logansport | 1 |
| 04/22/25 vs Logansport | 8 |
| 04/18/25 vs Carroll | 12 |
| + 9 more games |
The Western Panthers will take on the Twin Lakes Indians at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Western is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8 runs per game this season.
On Monday, Western earned an 8-4 victory over Oak Hill. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Golden Eagles recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Western got a great performance from Jaiden McNulty as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over six innings pitched. McNulty has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Gavin Denton, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Levi Shoemaker, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Western hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in seven consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Twin Lakes). They blew past Frontier 19-2 on Monday. Considering the Indians have won six matches by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Austin Robertson and Carson Wagner made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Robertson pitched five innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Wagner pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. At bat, Robertson got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three RBI and one run, while Wagner went 2-for-3 with one home run, two stolen bases, and five RBI. Twin Lakes is undefeated when Wagner posts two or more stolen bases, but 5-6 otherwise.
In other batting news, Twin Lakes got a massive performance out of Cooper Dold, who went 4-for-5 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Dold has become a key player for the Indians: the team is undefeated when he posts at least three hits, but 5-6 otherwise. Keaton Miller was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double.
Western's victory was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-2. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Twin Lakes, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten games. That's provided a massive bump to their 8-6 record this season.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Western has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .445. However, it's not like Twin Lakes struggles in that department as they've averaged .436. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Western came out on top in a nail-biter against Twin Lakes when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 6-5. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Indians have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
