Baseball Game Preview: Hilliard Darby Panthers vs. Lancaster Golden Gales

The Hilliard Darby Panthers are taking a road trip to face off against the Lancaster Golden Gales at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.

Hilliard Darby had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 13-run drubbing they dealt Whetstone on Thursday. The Panthers blew past the Braves 14-1. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Braves recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Tyler Mullen looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.

Grayson Ranft

Runs

05/22/25 @ Whetstone	3
04/30/25 @ Marysville	2
04/21/25 @ Olentangy	2
04/19/25 vs Springfield	2
04/18/25 vs Fairfield Christian Academy	2
+ 3 more games

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Grayson Ranft, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one double, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Hilliard Darby: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 10-11 otherwise. Cooper Gilkerson was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and two doubles.

Meanwhile, Lancaster came tearing into Thursday's contest with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.1 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They were the clear victors by an 8-2 margin over the Wolves. The result was nothing new for the Golden Gales, who have now won 11 matches by six runs or more so far this season.

Lancaster pushed their record up to 20-4 with the win, which was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Hilliard Darby, their win bumped their record up to 15-11.

Hilliard Darby came out on top in a nail-biter against Lancaster in their previous meeting back in May of 2019, sneaking past 5-3. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Golden Gales turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.