The Chesapeake Panthers will venture away from home to challenge the Ironton Fighting Tigers at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Chesapeake is headed out in good spirits considering the team just ended their winless streak on the road against South Gallia on Thursday. The Panthers blew past the Rebels 10-4. The Panthers not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since March 29, 2024.
Braxton Brown was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off eight hits (and only one walk). Brown was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. That run marked the first that he scored this season.
In other batting news, Mason Budd and Peyton Muncy did most of the damage at the plate: Budd went 3-for-5 with three RBI, one triple, and one run, while Muncy scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. That run was Budd's first of the season. Another player making a difference was Austin Collins, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Chesapeake always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Ironton had just enough and edged out Portsmouth 4-3 on Wednesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Fighting Tigers have posted against the Trojans since April 12, 2021.
Ironton has started the season off flawlessly and has a 2-0 record to show for it. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of one runs across that stretch. As for Chesapeake, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-5.
Chesapeake suffered a grim 17-1 defeat to Ironton when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
