The Buckeye Local Panthers will face off against the Brooke Bruins at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Buckeye Local has three straight victories, Brooke has five straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Buckeye Local is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They walked away with an 8-3 win over East Liverpool on Saturday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Karlie Lander was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off nine hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. That double was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Buckeye Local got a big performance out of Danika Bauknecht, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. That run marked the first that Bauknecht has scored this season. Necia Hosenfeld was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, Brooke didn't have quite enough to beat Harrison Central on Saturday and fell 6-5. That's two games in a row now that the Bruins have lost by just one run.
Like Buckeye Local, Brooke also got a great game from a two-way player: Avery Rado. She pitched six innings while giving up just two earned (and four unearned) runs off nine hits. Rado was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one double.
In other batting news, Jazymn Wood was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Emma Bober, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run.
Brooke's loss dropped their record down to 5-10. As for Buckeye Local, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Buckeye Local skirted past Brooke 1-0 in their previous matchup on Friday. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bruins turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
