It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Pioneer had no problem doing just that on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Tri-County Cavaliers, sneaking past 4-2. This was a revenge game for the Panthers: when they faced off against the Cavaliers back in April, they had to take a 10-4 loss.
Lois Layer spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on two hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 18 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Averi Layer, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Addison Kennell, who earned one run and three stolen bases.

Panthers
| 05/26/26 vs Tri-County | 4-2 |
| 05/20/26 @ Argos | 11-0 |
| 05/19/26 vs Caston | 18-10 |
The victory was the third in a row for Pioneer, bringing their record up to 14-10. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Tri-County, they moved to 20-5 with that defeat, which also ended their four-game winning streak.
Coming up, Pioneer will face off against North Newton at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Panthers' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Spartans have averaged an impressive 7.6 runs per game this season. Tri-County does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps