Baseball Game Preview: Penns Manor Comets vs. Portage Mustangs

The Penns Manor Comets will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on the Portage Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Penns Manor fell victim to Northern Cambria and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They came up short against the Colts, falling 11-0. The loss continues a trend for the Comets in their meetings with the Colts: they've now lost eight in a row.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Portage, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They came out on top against Marion Center by a score of 5-1 on Tuesday.

Jake McCoy was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out ten batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. McCoy was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jonah Irvin, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Easton Slanoc, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.

Portage now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Penns Manor, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-2.

Penns Manor was able to grind out a solid victory over Portage when the teams last played back in March of 2024, winning 5-2. Will Penns Manor repeat their success, or does Portage has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.