The Chatham Panthers will venture away from home to take on the Saratoga Central Catholic Saints at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Chatham barely beat Watervliet the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Panthers were the clear victors by an 11-5 margin over the Cannoneers on Monday. The win was familiar territory for the Panthers, who have now won five matches in a row.
Cooper Steltz
| 05/12/25 @ Watervliet | 11 |
| 04/23/25 vs Greenville | 10 |
| 04/11/25 vs Watervliet | 7 |
| 05/03/25 @ Highland | 4 |
| 04/19/25 @ Port Jervis | 1 |
Cooper Steltz was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Jacob Carroll was excellent, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Thomas Pierro, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Saratoga Central Catholic got the win against Tamarac on Monday by a conclusive 13-3. The Saints haven't had any issues with the Bengals recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
The team relied heavily on Ryan Gillis, who fired off two home runs, five RBI, and three runs while going 2-for-3. Kihl Kelly was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and two doubles.
Saratoga Central Catholic kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in 11 consecutive games.
Saratoga Central Catholic's win was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for Chatham, their record is now 14-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Chatham has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Saratoga Central Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 10.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Chatham couldn't quite get it done against Saratoga Central Catholic when the teams last played back in May of 2024 as they fell 11-8. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
