vs
| 04/10/25 - Home | 7-6 W |
| 04/08/25 - Away | 14-4 W |
| 04/06/24 - Away | 5-2 W |
| 04/04/24 - Home | 13-3 W |
| 04/14/23 - Home | 4-3 W |
| + 5 more games |
Lane Tech is 8-2 against Von Steuben since May of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Champions will be playing in front of their home fans against the Panthers at 4:30 p.m. Lane Tech is coming into the contest hot, having won their last nine games.
Von Steuben's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Thursday: Lane Tech hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. The Champions didn't even let Lake View on the board on Tuesday, marking the Champions' second-straight 10-0 shutout. Lane Tech's victory was all the more impressive since the Wildcats were averaging only 2.79 runs allowed on the season.
Dodger Friedrich looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Henry Murray was incredible, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Conor Sullivan, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
Lane Tech was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .423. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .304 or higher in four consecutive matchups.
Von Steuben came out on top against Brooks on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run seventh inning. The Panthers took their game against the Eagles 8-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.
Axel Rivera tossed a big game, striking out 11 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits.
On the hitting side, Luke Johnston and George Allen did most of the damage at the plate: Johnston went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, while Allen got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs. Allen is becoming a predictor of Von Steuben's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 11-12-3 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Matteo Banuelos, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI.
Lane Tech pushed their record up to 22-9 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Von Steuben, their win bumped their record up to 15-12-3.
Lane Tech came out on top in a nail-biter against Von Steuben in their previous meeting back in April, sneaking past 7-6. Will the Champions repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
