The Lexington Minutemen will head out on the road to square off against the Gardner-South Wilmington Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Lexington is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.7 runs per game this season.
If Lexington beats Gardner-South Wilmington with ten runs on Monday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. The Minutemen came out on top against El Paso-Gridley by a score of 10-5 on Friday. The win continues a trend for the Minutemen in their matchups with the Titans: they've now won four in a row.
Braeden Barber
| 05/02/25 @ El Paso-Gridley | 5 |
| 04/25/25 @ Ridgeview | 10 |
| 04/14/25 vs Tremont | 5 |
| 04/09/25 vs Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley | 7 |
Braeden Barber made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 6.1 innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Kayden Knight and Drake Powell did most of the damage at the plate: Knight got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases and two runs, while Powell went 2-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI Powell has posted since back in April of 2024. Preston Wiltz also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Lexington kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Gardner-South Wilmington's offense. They lost 7-0 to Dwight on Friday. Panthers fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Trojans since on Friday.
Gardner-South Wilmington saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Reed Millette, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base.
Lexington's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-8. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Gardner-South Wilmington, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 6-11.
Gardner-South Wilmington's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lexington hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .358. It's a different story for Gardner-South Wilmington, though, as they've only averaged .243. Will they be able to contain Lexington's hitters?
Lexington skirted past Gardner-South Wilmington 6-5 in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Will the Minutemen repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
