Baseball Game Preview: Firelands Falcons vs. North Ridgeville Rangers

The Firelands Falcons will head out on the road to face off against the North Ridgeville Rangers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Neither Firelands nor North Ridgeville posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

While Firelands' victory against Vermilion wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Falcons' pitcher stepped up to hand the Sailors a 2-0 shutout on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Falcons.

Aidan Cummings

Earned Runs

04/22/25 @ Keystone	6
05/13/25 @ Black River	5
04/09/25 vs Keystone	2

Not much got past Aidan Cummings, who gave up just two hits and racked up eight Ks to keep Vermilion off the board. Cummings also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Firelands is undefeated when he allows at most two earned runs, but 8-9 otherwise.

On the hitting side, Firelands saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Evan Kline, who went 1-for-2 with one run.

Meanwhile, North Ridgeville fell victim to Lakewood and their airtight pitching crew last Friday. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of Lakewood. North Ridgeville has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Firelands pushed their record up to 11-9 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for North Ridgeville, their defeat dropped their record down to 17-3.

Saturday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Firelands has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .462. However, it's not like North Ridgeville struggles in that department as they've averaged .461. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.

Firelands couldn't quite finish off North Ridgeville in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 and fell 4-2. Can the Falcons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.