Jim Thorpe and Panther Valley are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2015, but likely not for long. The Jim Thorpe Olympians will look to defend their home field on Saturday against the Panther Valley Panthers at 1:00 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Jim Thorpe will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Monday, then bounced right back against Williams Valley on Thursday. Jim Thorpe was the clear victor by a 10-3 margin over Williams Valley.
Nikolas Schwartz spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on two hits.
On the hitting side, Josh Louk and Brody Schrantz did most of the damage at the plate: Louk scored three runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-4, while Schrantz scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Cole Lazorick, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and an RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Panther Valley, who bounced back after a tough loss on the road on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged Shenandoah Valley out 9-7.
Panther Valley got a massive performance out of Andrew Kokinda, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Chase Weaver, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Jim Thorpe's win ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-10. As for Panther Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 9-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Jim Thorpe has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Panther Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Jim Thorpe suffered a grim 15-5 defeat to Panther Valley in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Thankfully for Jim Thorpe, Michael Pascoe (who went 4-for-4 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
