Baseball Game Preview: McDonald Blue Devils vs. Maplewood Rockets

The McDonald Blue Devils will head out on the road to square off against the Maplewood Rockets at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. McDonald is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.

McDonald is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They came out on top against Bristol by a score of 6-3.

Meanwhile, while Maplewood put up some runs on Wednesday, the same can't be said for Windham. The Rockets were the clear victors by an 8-0 margin over the Bombers. The result was nothing new for the Rockets, who have now won 11 matches by six runs or more so far this season.

Gabe Erwin made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over seven innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.

Erwin wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Coleton Logan, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.

McDonald pushed their record up to 15-8 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Maplewood, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 14-6.

McDonald took their win against Maplewood when the teams last played back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 11-1 score. Do the Blue Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rockets turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.