The Chief Sealth Seahawks will head out to challenge the Nathan Hale Raiders at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Chief Sealth 2.6, Nathan Hale 3.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Chief Sealth fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Garfield on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Bulldogs by a score of 5-4.
Sam Popelka
| 04/09/25 @ Garfield | 2 |
| 04/04/25 vs Franklin | 1 |
| 03/29/25 @ Washington | 2 |
| 03/24/25 vs Cleveland | 1 |
| 03/18/25 @ Mt. Rainier | 1 |
| + 2 more games |
Sam Popelka was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Teo Perala was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-5 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. That home run marked the first that he launched this season. Brady Murphy was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Nathan Hale entered their game against Ingraham on Wednesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Raiders fell just short of the Rams by a score of 6-5. Raiders fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Rams since on Wednesday.
Nathan Hale saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Eliot Jennings, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI. Another was PJ Sale, who scored a run while going 2-for-5.
This is the second loss in a row for Nathan Hale and nudges their season record down to 5-4-1. Even worse, they were so close both times: the losses came by an average of only one runs. As for Chief Sealth, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 9-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Chief Sealth has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Nathan Hale struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Chief Sealth came out on top in a nail-biter against Nathan Hale in their previous meeting on Monday, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Seahawks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
