The Hastings Raiders will challenge the Pine Island Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Hastings is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 18 runs on Wednesday, they were much more limited against Two Rivers on Friday. They fell 5-2 to the Warriors.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Pine Island, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They won by a run and slipped past Minnehaha Academy 3-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Panthers have posted since May 29, 2024.
Alex Knox spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up six Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Pine Island's win was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Mason Jasperson, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run. That's the most stolen bases Jasperson has posted since back in April. Another was Luke Sems, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base.
Pine Island's victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for Hastings, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-10 record this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
