vs
| 05/03/24 - Home | 11-1 W |
| 05/14/15 - Home | 6-2 W |
| 04/25/15 - Away | 11-2 W |
| 04/25/15 - Away | 17-8 W |
Elyria Catholic has gone a perfect 4-0 against Oberlin recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Panthers will be playing at home against the Phoenix at 5:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Elyria Catholic made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Panthers fell just short of the Royals by a score of 12-10 on Tuesday. The Panthers just can't catch a break and have now endured three defeats in a row.
Oberlin hadn't beaten Open Door Christian on the road since April 22, 2017 but that history sure didn't bother them on Monday. The Phoenix blew past the Patriots 12-2. Considering the Phoenix's hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Drew Walter made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. He is becoming a predictor of Oberlin's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 3-1 (and 2-12 when he doesn't). Walter was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Oberlin got a massive performance out of Chris Hanmer, who went 2-for-3 with four stolen bases, one run, and one double. Those four stolen bases gave Hanmer a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Reed Emerich, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases and three runs.
Oberlin kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.2 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 8.8.
Elyria Catholic's loss dropped their record down to 3-16. As for Oberlin, their victory bumped their record up to 5-13.
Everything went Elyria Catholic's way against Oberlin in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, as Elyria Catholic made off with an 11-1 win. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Phoenix turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
