The Manchester Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Tallmadge Blue Devils at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Manchester will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
It was a proper cat-fight when Manchester faced off against Canton South on Wednesday. The Panthers' pitchers stepped up to hand the Wildcats a 9-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won 11 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Cassidy Perry
| 05/07/25 @ Canton South | 2 |
| 04/18/25 vs Green | 0 |
| 04/16/25 @ Orrville | 11 |
Cassidy Perry made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. What's more, she posted two strikeouts, the most she's had over her last three contests. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Manchester let Kailyn Eshbaugh and Saige Rankin run wild. Eshbaugh went 2-for-4 with one home run, while Rankin went 2-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Alli Hodgkinson, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Tallmadge ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They skirted past Green 15-14. The win was nothing new for the Blue Devils as they're now sitting on three straight.
Larissa Taylor looked comfortable as she pitched 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 14 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Katie Huth was incredible, going a perfect 6-for-6 with six RBI, two doubles, and one run. Leila Staszak was another key player, going 3-for-6 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
Tallmadge was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .553. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matchups.
Tallmadge pushed their record up to 10-7 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 9.2 runs. As for Manchester, their record is now 17-4.
Tallmadge's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Manchester has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.4 hits per game. It's a different story for Tallmadge, though, as they've been averaging 9.4 hits. Given Manchester's sizable advantage in that area, the Blue Devils will need to find a way to close that gap.
Manchester skirted past Tallmadge 6-5 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
