The Derby Panthers will face off against the Bishop Carroll Golden Eagles on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Derby 2.9, Bishop Carroll 3.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Derby is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Kansas' top teams: Maize, who was ranked fourth at the time (Derby was ranked 18th). The Panthers fell 3-0 to the Eagles on Wednesday. The Panthers have struggled against the Eagles recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
Meanwhile, Bishop Carroll got the win against East on Tuesday by a conclusive 11-1. Considering the Golden Eagles have won nine matchups by more than eight runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Bishop Carroll gave Zach Bina the start and clearly made the right call: he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over 4.1 innings pitched. Bina has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Bode Lubbers, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Harrison King, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs.
Bishop Carroll is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.4 runs over those games. As for Derby, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-5.
Derby was able to grind out a solid victory over Bishop Carroll in their previous matchup back in May of 2025, winning 5-2. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Golden Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
