By “Nunnie” Robinson, Westside Gazette Sports Editor
After coming out on the losing end of a hard fought game against the New York Rangers, the Florida Panthers are determined to even the series at 2-2 on Tuesday in Game 4 of their best-of-7 Eastern Conference Final. It appears that the biggest obstacle for the Panthers to overcome is mental on the heels of consecutive overtime defeats at the hands of the New York Rangers. Alex Weinberg, center, scored the winning goal Sunday with 5:45 into overtime, securing the win for the Rangers. The game Tuesday at Amerant Bank Arena is pivotal for the Panthers. Going down 3–1 and heading back to MSG could prove challenging and almost insurmountable.
The most egregious issue facing the Panthers is getting the puck in the net, past Ranger goalie Igor Starensky who has simply been brilliant in goal, even after facing an avalanche of shots on goal by the Panthers. Florida must reverse that trend if they are to overcome the 2-1 deficit before returning to New York.
The Marlins have finally turned their season around if results of late can be used as a barometer. Although the Marlins remain in last place in the National League East with a 19-36 won-lost record, recent results suggest a trend upward. In their last 10 games they are 6-4 despite a most recent loss to the talented San Diego Padres. Luis Arraez, whom the Marlins traded to San Diego, has a .333 batting average to lead the Padres, compiling 12 doubles, a triple and a home run. Manny Machado is 12-for-38 with five RBI over the past 10 games.
Jazz Chisholm has 11 doubles, two triples and eight home runs while hitting .265 for the Marlins. Christian Bethancourt is 5-for-16 with a double and a home run over the last 10 games. Also, the Marlins have a combined 268 batting average, 2.90 ERA, and have outscored opponents by eight runs, indicative of better pitching and hitting. With Ronald Acuna out for the season after injuring his other ACL, the east appears to be up for grabs. If the Marlins can avoid losing 3-4 games series, they can make a serious run with timely and consistent pitching, hitting and fielding while limiting injuries to key players.
In HBCU news, the Grambling State University Tigers, by virtue of their winning the SWAC baseball championship, punched its ticket to NCAA tournament in College Station, Texas, home of the Texas A&M Aggies, the region’s number 1 seed. Louisiana, Texas & and Grambling are seeded 2, 3 & 4 respectively. Grambling had to overcome a determined Jackson State team in 6-5 victory to win the SWAC championship.
