The Lakewood Piners will head out to take on the Neptune Scarlet Fliers at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday. Lakewood is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.1 runs per game this season.
On Friday, Lakewood got the win against Asbury Park by a conclusive 18-5. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Piners.
| 05/02/25 @ Asbury Park | 4 |
| 04/25/25 vs LEAP Academy | 3 |
| 04/24/25 vs Long Branch | 3 |
| 04/10/25 vs Henry Hudson | 3 |
| 04/30/25 vs Asbury Park | 2 |
Abel Martinez made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases and four runs. Those four runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cris Rosario, who went 2-for-3 with six RBI, three runs, and one double. Those six RBI gave him a new career-high. Avani Crudup was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Neptune started off well but failed to capitalize on an early lead against Freehold Boro. They fell just short of the Colonials by a score of 3-2 on Tuesday. The defeat continues a trend for the Scarlet Fliers in their meetings with the Colonials: they've now lost three in a row.
Like Lakewood, Neptune also got a great game from a two-way player: Hunter Morgan. On the mound, he tossed seven innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. Those three hits allowed gave Morgan a new career-low. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with one home run.
Morgan wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Nick Bailey, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one RBI.
Lakewood picked up their first road win, bumping their record up to 6-8. As for Neptune, their loss dropped their record down to 2-11.
Neptune's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lakewood has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .460. It's a different story for Neptune, though, as they've only averaged .354. Will they be able to contain Lakewood's hitters?
Lakewood couldn't quite get it done against Neptune in their previous meeting back in May of 2017 as they fell 6-3. Can the Piners avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
