The Northern Lehigh Bulldogs will take on the Notre Dame Spartans at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. The last three games Northern Lehigh has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Having struggled with six losses in a row, Northern Lehigh turned things around against Jim Thorpe on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Olympians, sneaking past 8-6. The game was the first time the Bulldogs have beaten the Olympians on their field since April 15, 2016.
Chris Vargas tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over 5.1 innings pitched.
At the plate, Parker Schaffer was a standout: he scored a run while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Braedon Dougherty, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Northern Lehigh always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matchups.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Notre Dame and Lincoln Leadership Academy meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Tuesday. The Spartans put the hurt on the Lions with a sharp 21-10 win. With that victory, the Spartans brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Lucas Vega made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits (and not a single walk). Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was even better at the plate, scoring five runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances.
In other batting news, Notre Dame got a massive performance out of Aidan Acosta, who scored five runs and stole five bases while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave Acosta a new career-high in hits (three). Daniel Bordas was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing four bases while going 4-for-5.
Notre Dame's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-4. As for Northern Lehigh, their victory bumped their record up to 2-7.
Northern Lehigh took their win against Notre Dame in their previous matchup back in April of 2019 by a conclusive 7-0 score. Will the Bulldogs repeat their success, or do the Spartans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
