The Eastside Ghosts will face off against the Passaic Valley Hornets at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Eastside's win against Hackensack wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Ghosts had just enough and edged out the Comets 2-1 on Wednesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Ghosts have posted since April 9, 2024.
Johan Pichardo tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over six innings pitched.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Eudrin Rosario, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Elier Ventura, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one RBI.
Meanwhile, Passaic Valley earned a 10-6 win over Wayne Hills on Thursday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Hornets.
Passaic Valley also got a great performance from Shane Snell as he pitched five innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits.
On the hitting side, Mason Condon was incredible, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Dante Benvenuti was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Passaic Valley's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 2-0. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. Eastside has also opened the season with a perfect 2-0 record.
Eastside couldn't quite finish off Passaic Valley in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 and fell 8-6. Can the Ghosts avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
