The Palmyra Cougars will face off against the Manheim Central Barons at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Palmyra sitting on 12 straight victories and Manheim Central on six.
Palmyra had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 13-run drubbing they dealt Hershey on Wednesday. The Cougars' pitcher stepped up to hand the Trojans a 13-0 shutout. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Cougars considering their one-run performance the game before.
Palmyra got a great performance from Jonathan Strohecker as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Strohecker has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
Tyler Peck
| 04/16/25 @ Hershey | 3 |
| 04/14/25 vs Red Land | 1 |
| 04/08/25 @ Central Dauphin East | 1 |
| 04/04/25 vs Warwick | 1 |
| 04/03/25 vs Lower Dauphin | 1 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Tyler Peck, who fired off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-4. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Aiden Willard, who scored three runs while going 3-for-3.
Palmyra always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .632. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times Manheim Central and Donegal have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Wednesday. The Barons came out on top against the Indians by a score of 5-2.
Kyle Mylin spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on four hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Manheim Central is 5-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 2-3 otherwise.
At the plate, Manheim Central saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brody Groff, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Palmyra pushed their record up to 12-0 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.6 runs over those games. As for Manheim Central, their record now sits at 7-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Palmyra has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Manheim Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Palmyra took their win against Manheim Central in their previous meeting back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 11-0 score. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Barons turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
