Panthers, Bulldogs in conference showdown

Panthers first baseman Josh Rech awaits the throw. Central defeated Silverton 6-2 on Wednesday to remain undefeated in league play. Photo by Lance Masterson.

Perfection in league is on the line as West Albany and Central square off in a two-game series that begins today.

The Bulldogs, Panthers and Crescent Valley Raiders sit atop the Mid-Willamette Conference varsity baseball standings with 6-0 marks.

Playing fundamentally sound baseball has keyed West Albany (6-0, 13-1overall) and it’s success this season, according to Panthers coach Ben Kramer.

“West Albany is consistent. They play well defensively, along with throwing a ton of strikes,” he added.

The seventh-ranked Panthers are 12-2 overall. Both their losses came against Class 6A Beaverton at the Nelson Spring Break Tournament. They are undefeated against Class 5A competition.

“We take each game one at a time. So our focus is on playing our best baseball,” Kramer said of his team’s success.

The Panthers will hold their own against the Bulldogs, Kramer added, if they stay on script.

“For us, it’s just continuing to do what we have been doing up to this point, putting pressure on teams when we are on offense and staying aggressive on the bases,” Kramer said. “Then throwing strikes and avoiding free passes from our pitchers, trusting that our defense will make plays for them.”

So far, Central has swept Lebanon, South Albany and Silverton.

“Every game in our league leaves clues about where we are at, because each team does certain things really well,” Kramer said. “We learned a lot in this last series against Silverton. They threw … strikes, so it was good for our hitters to start feeling more comfortable in the box.”

The first of the two-game series is tonight at West Albany. Monday’s game is at home. First pitch in both contests is at 5 p.m.