Baseball Game Preview: Rutgers Prep Argonauts vs. Montgomery Cougars

The Rutgers Prep Argonauts will head out to square off against the Montgomery Cougars at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Rutgers Prep's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so Montgomery's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Somerville hit Rutgers Prep with a five-run seventh inning on Saturday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Argonauts fell just short of the Pioneers by a score of 8-7. That's two games in a row now that the Argonauts have lost by just one run.

Ethan Nepomuceno was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-5 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Matt Bilmes, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

Meanwhile, Montgomery fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against The Pingry School on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Big Blue by a score of 5-4.

Montgomery saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Henry Maddox, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one RBI.

Rutgers Prep's loss ended an eight-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 11-7. As for Montgomery, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-12 record this season.

Montgomery's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Rutgers Prep has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .435. It's a different story for Montgomery, though, as they've only averaged .341. Will they be able to contain Rutgers Prep's hitters?

Everything went Rutgers Prep's way against Montgomery when the teams last played back in May of 2024, as Rutgers Prep made off with a 12-6 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Argonauts since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.